Edmonton Smothered in Smoke as Wildfires Rage

A smoky haze obscured downtown Edmonton, Alberta, as wildfires burned in the province on Saturday, May 20.

According to fire officials there were 86 active wildfires in Alberta as of Saturday.

According to local reports some outdoor facilities and events, such as parks and pools, were closed due to air quality concerns brought on by the smoke.

Environment Canada issued a Special Air Quality Statement for Edmonton urging local residents to keep doors and windows closed and urging the use of well-fitting respirator masks for those who needed to spend significant time outside. Credit: @CAMARSHALLSTAR via Storyful

Video Transcript

- Normally, you can see past those trees that are usually very clear, the ones in the distance. And I'm about to zoom in on past those houses. That's the smoke.

It's coming in from all the wildfires in Alberta, and past that, you should be able to see downtown Edmonton on any given day. And today and the last few days, you cannot. There's too much smoke, and it pretty much looks like the apocalypse. It's pretty bad.

Normally, you can see past those trees that are usually very clear, the ones in the distance. And I'm about to zoom in on past those houses. That's the smoke.

It's coming in from all the wildfires in Alberta, and past that, you should be able to see downtown Edmonton on any given day. And today and the last few days, you cannot. There's too much smoke, and it pretty much looks like the apocalypse. It's pretty bad.