Thick blanket of haze accompanied by smoky smell in Toronto

A thick haze has rolled in to Toronto that at first was mystifying, then kind of pretty, and now feels like it's taking over the city along with a smoky smell.

The air quality in the city is dismal because of it, with an Air Quality Health Index on Monday of 6 in the "moderate" range, also classified as the "unhealthy" range.

Holy smoke!

The wildfire’s smoke has reached Toronto!

Smells like something is burning! pic.twitter.com/T9svO7KZfq

— Margaret⚡️ (@mrawrmos) July 19, 2021

Unfortunately, the muggy haze is due to wildfires that have been raging up north.

The wildfire smoke reached Toronto. pic.twitter.com/UM6FZNqITZ

— Tomas Kaplan (@TomCapli) July 19, 2021

Over 100 fires are blazing in northwestern Ontario, with winds blowing the smoke south.

apocalyptic skies full of smoke. never seen this in Toronto before. #dlws pic.twitter.com/wDS5fpEtN8

— jennifer evans (@nejsnave) July 19, 2021

Wildfire smoke can be harmful to your health, so people are encouraged to take precautions with exposure.

Downtown Toronto under a Smokey Haze. You can actually smell it. pic.twitter.com/cw8tJ7Lcjw

— @carlabosacki (@carlabosacki) July 19, 2021

The smokiness in the air led to views of a bright red sun which inspired tons of photos.

Commonplace sadly in western Canada but rare in Toronto & southern Ontario. An auburn daytime sun caused by fires up north. Vague smell of smoke in the air too. pic.twitter.com/WccMkkq8nP

— Tom Harrington (@cbctom) July 19, 2021

Throughout Monday, a thick smoky haze descended down upon the city.

The Toronto fog - actually smoke - from wildfires today, from my window. It smells that something burnt too. 😔 #wildfire pic.twitter.com/kyc7k1IjPh

— Viviam (@viviamalcalde) July 19, 2021

While images of a city blanketed in haze are certainly surreal, the smell of smoke isn't so pleasant.

The air in Mississauga/Toronto is absolutely gross today. You can taste it, it’s like smoke not haze. Disgusting.

— Fran Dunne (@fran_dunne) July 19, 2021

Hopefully the fires will subside soon and we can look forward to clearer skies and fresher air (well, as fresh as we can expect in Toronto).