As wildfires rage on, a crisis brews across Canada and parts of the United States, urging residents to remain indoors. The fires are not only wreaking havoc on the environment but are also plummeting air quality, casting a shadow over regions where the FIFA World Cup final is slated for early next week.
Canadian officials report a staggering 110 fires spiraling out of control, with more than 700 additional blazes flaring in secluded locations. These fires spare major urban centers but have devastated 1.9 million hectares of land, edging closer to smaller towns and leading to evacuation orders being issued.
The infernos have sent smoke billowing into the sky, dimming horizons in Ontario and northeastern US. Authorities in both nations have responded by canceling public gatherings and issuing health advisories to safeguard citizens.
In Toronto, the nation’s largest city, residents awoke to an eerie orange haze obscuring the skyline, a stark reminder of the fires’ reach.
In response, officials have taken drastic measures, including shutting public swimming pools, halting summer programs, and cancelling the much-anticipated FIFA Fan Festival. This cancellation coincides with the World Cup semi-final clash scheduled between England and Argentina.
On Thursday, Swiss firm IQAir said the Canadian city recorded the worst air quality of any major city in the world, beating New Delhi and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa.
Nearby, New York City’s air quality ranked fifth-worst in the world. Authorities there have warned residents they “may see visible smoke and hazy skies across the state and spikes in smoke-related pollution”.
The US National Weather Service said the smoke could linger into the end of the week.
“We probably haven’t seen the worst of it yet for New York City. We probably haven’t seen the worst of it yet for the Great Lakes and upstate and New England yet either,” Dan Westervelt, Lamont associate research professor at Columbia University, told Reuters news agency.
The smoke settled on the city just days before neighbouring New Jersey is scheduled to host 80,000 people at an open-air stadium for the World Cup final on Monday morning AEST.
Another 50,000 are planning to watch the game from Manhattan’s Central Park.
Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire have all experienced worsened air quality.
The fires burn against the backdrop of a record-smashing North American heatwave, which has seen temperatures soar into the 40s in parts.
While significant, Canadian authorities say the current fire season has been significantly less dangerous than those that ravaged the country in 2023, when 18 million hectares burned.
— With additional reporting by Reuters news agency and Agence France-Presse.