Covered in Yellow Smoke, "Eerie"... Surpassing India for 'Worst Skies'

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As regions across the globe suffer from extreme heat, wildfires in Canada are spreading out of control. With the smoke reaching the United States, concerns are growing that it could even impact the World Cup final.

Reporter Gwak Sang-eun has the story.

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A train is engulfed in bright red flames.

The fire appears ready to swallow the engine room and the tracks at any moment.

[Train Engineer: We need to move this quickly. Oh, my god!]


Wildfires are spreading uncontrollably, centered in central regions such as Ontario and Manitoba, Canada.

As of July 15 local time, there were 835 active wildfires across Canada.

Of these, 112 are considered out of control, exceeding the authorities' capacity to extinguish them.

Nationwide extreme heat is being analyzed as a factor fueling the spread of the fires.

As the smoke rolled in, the sky over Toronto, Canada's largest city, was blanketed in yellow haze.

At one point, the air pollution level even surpassed that of Delhi, India, reaching the worst level in the world.

[Alex Raz/Toronto Resident: The air is polluted, and I don't know what to do. I have the air purifier running constantly at home, and I even have a smoke allergy.]

This hazardous haze has spread to the United States, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, and Massachusetts, with reports pouring in of the sky turning a yellowish-brown color.

Local media outlets have reacted with comments such as, "It feels like being on Mars," and "It's eerie."

[Dan Westervelt/Research Professor at Columbia University: On July 16, air quality in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Great Lakes regions will deteriorate to 'unhealthy' or 'very unhealthy' levels.]

With forecasts predicting the hazardous haze will continue through the latter part of this week, New York City has advised residents to refrain from outdoor activities.

Concerns are rising that the World Cup final, scheduled to be held at an outdoor stadium in New Jersey near New York on July 19, could face disruptions.

Reported by Gwak Sang-eun | Video by Jung Seong-hun | Graphics by Kang Yoon-jung and Im Chan-hyuk
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.