Bad air quality from wildfires expected to continue into weekend

Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta.

Smoke and flames continue to engulf much of Canada, with Alberta imposing new evacuation orders, Manitoba bracing for heavy, lightning-generating thunderstorms and high wildfire risks and poor air quality from coast to coast.

Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta.

Forecasters expect moderately bad air quality on Friday and Saturday throughout most of Ontario.

Meanwhile, Alberta issued two evacuation orders for Yellowhead County in the province’s northwest and an evacuation alert for Grande Prairie County.

The worst air in that province is near Fort Chipewyan, which remains on an evacuation order as a fire burns out of control. Wood Buffalo and Grande Prairie also have high risk air quality forecasts.

Moderately bad air quality is forecast for Edmonton and Calgary on Friday.

In British Columbia, air quality was expected to improve almost everywhere in the province except for Fort St. John.

The number of fires burning across the country fell slightly Thursday, but forecasts suggest smoke warnings will remain in place in several provinces into the weekend.