Smoky haze blankets Ottawa as wildfires burn

Nearby forest fires lead to poor air quality, smoky haze surrounding Ottawa

Media | Drone footage shows the haze over Ottawa's skyline caused by wildfires

Caption: Smoke covers the Ottawa skyline Tuesday as forest fires continue to burn in Ontario and Quebec. (Felix Desroches/CBC)

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A blanket of smoky haze has covered much of Ottawa as forest fires burn across parts of Quebec and Ontario.
The fires have filled the air with fine particulate matter that makes it unhealthy to breathe, while casting an eerie pall over the sky. Environment Canada says the poor air quality could last throughout most of the week.
And the flames are hitting closer to home, as a wildfire remains out of control at Centennial Lake in Greater Madawaska, Ont., just 170 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa.
For those heeding public health advice to reduce exposure, here are photos and videos that show the conditions outside.

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Caption: Someone walks a dog along the Ottawa River in Ottawa as smoke from wildfires obscures Gatineau, Que., in the distance on Tuesday. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

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Caption: Smoke from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec over Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

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Image | ottawa wildfire forest fire smoke drone

Caption: A view from a drone of the area west of Ottawa's LeBreton Flats on Tuesday. (Félix Desroches/CBC)

Image | Ottawa skyline

Caption: A view of downtown Ottawa from Gatineau, Que., as wildfire smoke blankets the city on June 6. (Arthur White-Crummey/CBC)

Image | ottawa wildfire forest fire smoke drone

Caption: A view from a drone of Ottawa's LeBreton Flats and areas further west on Tuesday. (Félix Desroches/CBC)

Image | Smoke in Ottawa

Caption: Pedestrians walk across Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa on Tuesday. Ottawa's air quality is so bad that it cracked through the top of a risk scale that morning. (Mathieu Theriault/Radio-Canada)

Image | kingston wildfire forest fire smoke

Caption: Wildfire smoke blankets Kingston, Ont., on Tuesday. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Image | kingston wildfire forest fire smoke

Caption: Wildfire smoke blankets Kingston on Tuesday. All of eastern Ontario and western Quebec are under some sort of air quality advisory. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Image | kingston lake ontario wildfire forest fire

Caption: Wildfire smoke obscures the view off Lake Ontario next to downtown Kingston on Tuesday. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

Image | ottawa gatineau smoke fire air quality

Caption: People read an information placard as wildfire smoke covers the skyline in Ottawa-Gatineau on Monday, when there were also local air quality advisories. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

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Caption: The Ottawa River and Parliament Hill covered in wildfire smoke on Monday. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

Image | greater madawaska forest fire centennial lake

Caption: South Frontenac Fire & Rescue were one of the services helping fight the forest fire near Centennial Lake in eastern Ontario's Township of Greater Madawaska. (South Frontenac Fire & Rescue/Facebook)

Media Video | CBC News Ottawa : Flames visible from the water as forest fire burns west of Ottawa

Caption: Dozens of homes have been evacuated in the Township of Greater Madawaska after a forest fire broke out Sunday afternoon.

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Media Video | CBC News Ottawa : Watch a water bomber fly over the flames near Centennial Lake

Caption: Water bombers and helicopters are part of ongoing firefighting efforts to put out a forest fire in the Township of Greater Madawaska.

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Media Video | CBC News Ottawa : Watch as smoke rises over Centennial Lake in Greater Madawaska

Caption: A forest fire broke out in eastern Ontario's Township of Greater Madawaska Sunday afternoon according to Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. (Greg Carruthers)

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