Poor air quality warning extended into weekend for London as wildfire smoke persists

Poor air quality warning extended into weekend for London as wildfire smoke persists

Medical officer of health urges residents to limit outdoor activity as hazardous smoke lingers

Despite hopes that conditions would improve Friday, London remains under a high-risk air quality warning, with Environment Canada now saying smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario could continue affecting the region through the weekend.

The weather agency's orange warning for air quality remains in effect, with a rating of 10+, or very high risk. Meantime, Air Quality Ontario continues to forecast a dangerously poor health index.

"Smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario is causing very poor air quality and reduced visibility," Environment Canada said. "Poor air quality may persist into the weekend."

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Dr. Alex Summers, medical officer of health for the Middlesex-London Health Unit, said the current conditions represent the highest level of risk on the Air Quality Health Index.

"When the air is this poor, as you can tell when you walk outside, you can almost taste the smoke," he said.

"We really advise folks, particularly people who are at risk — those over 65, people who are pregnant and children — to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and outdoor physical exertion."

Summers said everyone can be affected by the smoky conditions, regardless of their age or overall health.

"It's really important that people recognize that everyone's health can be affected," he said. "If you start to experience eye, nose or throat irritation, headaches or a cough, those are signs to move indoors or reduce your physical exertion outside."

Environment Canada issued its first air quality warnings of the year on Wednesday amid multi-day heat warnings that have since subsided. Smoke from northwestern Ontario wildfires has since remained lingering over southwestern Ontario, causing some of the worst air quality ratings in the world.

Outdoor activities remain cancelled

In London, organizers of the annual Rock the Park event in Harris Park were forced to cancel Thursday's lineup due to the worsening situation.

The London Fire Department has also suspended all open-air burns until air quality conditions improve.

The City of London has kept outdoor recreation facilities, programs and sporting amenities closed until further notice.

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Community centres will remain open to provide indoor relief for Londoners. Outreach teams will connect with people experiencing homelessness to share information about cooling locations and available supports that can help reduce health risks.

Summers said people should continue monitoring updates from Environment Canada, Air Quality Ontario and the health unit before returning to normal outdoor activities.

"The guidance from those agencies can be the most instructive way to know when we're returning to normal," he said.

He also encouraged people to rethink outdoor plans while the warning remains in effect.

"I think sometimes we are hesitant to cancel the plans that we've made when the environment is telling us that maybe we need to reconsider," Summers said. "Especially if you've got children or folks that are in outdoor activities, it's OK to say, 'Today we're not going to do that because the weather just isn't going to be supportive of us doing this in a healthy way.'"

Turn on your headlights, police say

With smoke reducing visibility, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are recommending that drivers turn their full headlights on, even during the day.

"Even during daylight hours, smoke can make it difficult for other drivers to see," said Ed Sanchuk, spokesperson for OPP West Region.

"Your vehicle's headlights help increase your visibility and allow other road users to spot you sooner, reducing the risk of collisions, so please turn on your headlights whenever visibility is reduced by smoke, fog, rain or other weather conditions."

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Sanchuk also recommended leaving extra space between vehicles, watching for changing road conditions and remaining alert for emergency vehicles.

Summers said smoke events like this are becoming more common, making it important for people to prepare for future episodes of poor air quality.

"As we see across Canada, heat events and poor air quality events like this are increasing," he said. "It's really important that we have conversations about what we can do to protect ourselves during these events."