STORY: Wildfires trigger high-risk air quality alert in Canada
DATELINE: July 1, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:18
LOCATION: TORONTO, Canada
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP 1 (English): HUGH LI, Xinhua reporter
2. various of Toronto
3. STANDUP 2 (English): HUGH LI, Xinhua reporter
4. various of the wildfires

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (English): HUGH LI, Xinhua reporter
"We are in the downtown of Toronto, the biggest city of Canada. The air quality here started out bad and got worse over Saturday, rising to 'very high risk.'"

Environment Canada on Friday renewed a special air quality statement for its southern Ontario, including parts of the Greater Toronto Area, as smoke plumed from wildfires in northeastern Ontario and Quebec drifted into the region.

The ministry designated Toronto's air quality as "high risk," warning the poor conditions are expected to persist into the evening and may affect certain areas until Saturday morning.

At around noon on Friday, Toronto's air pollution was listed as the second worst in the world, behind New York City, according to data from Swiss air quality tracker IQAir. Toronto topped that list earlier this week.

STANDUP 2 (English): HUGH LI, Xinhua reporter
"Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record as hundreds of blazes rage across the country. Wildfires have so far devoured about 81,000 square km of land in Canada. As massive clouds of smoke drift into the urban areas, air quality alerts have been issued for these big cities including Toronto."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Toronto, Canada.
(XHTV)