Apocalyptic-Looking Sky in Ontario Goes Viral Amid Wildfires

An apocalyptic-looking sky over Ontario, Canada, has gone viral this week after wildfires swept across the province’s northwest and smoke spread as far as the U.S. border with New York and Michigan. Images shared by residents show the sky glowing a deep, almost dark red.

A video published by CBS News on July 15 captures the moment a wildfire approached a stranded freight train near Armstrong, Ontario. Flames can be seen advancing through the train car windows. “This could reach us here. It’s getting a little scary,“ one crew member can be heard telling the operator as the fire moved toward the locomotive. “They’ve got to hurry. Seriously. We’re surrounded by flames.”

Other videos filmed in Toronto show the sky shrouded in an orange haze, while aerial footage from Thunder Bay reveals massive columns of white and gray smoke rising above the treeline. One video includes the message: “Toronto has the worst air quality in the world today.“

Wildfires Ravage Ontario

With more than 180 active wildfires across the province, dozens of them out of control, Ontario is facing a severe wildfire crisis. As of July 15, 136 of the fires were burning in northwestern Ontario, prompting large-scale evacuations and creating hazardous air quality across southern Ontario and beyond.

The “Thunder Bay 36” fire, which ignited on July 12, is currently the largest active wildfire, covering 867,300 acres. The “Fort Frances 14” fire is the second largest at 136,170 acres, followed by “Fort Frances 15”, which has burned 119,160 acres. None of the three fires has been brought under control.

Smoke from the fires has spread across the north-central and Midwestern United States, causing unhealthy air quality and producing hazy, orange skies over New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

Authorities expect the smoke to linger through Friday, when a shift in wind direction and forecast rainfall are likely to bring relief to both air quality and firefighting efforts in Ontario, according to CNN.

Evacuations and Road Closures

Evacuation alerts were issued on July 15 for areas west of Thunder Bay, including Armstrong, Whitesand First Nation, Collins First Nation, Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (Lac La Croix First Nation) and surrounding areas, as well as Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation and nearby communities. Residents in the Dryden, Fort Frances, and Atikokan districts have also been urged to prepare for possible evacuations.

Ontario Parks has also been affected by the wildfires. Quetico Provincial Park has closed its Dawson Trail Campground, and an enforcement order is now in effect for areas surrounding the Fort Frances 14 fire. The order prohibits all travel and public access within the designated zone.

Ontario’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Jill Dunlop, announced on X that the province has requested assistance from the Government of Canada. “In response to the significant threat posed by wildfires in northern Ontario, the province has submitted a formal request for assistance to the Government of Canada to ensure federal resources can be rapidly deployed in support of evacuation efforts,” Dunlop said. She added that the requested assistance includes the deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces.