Ottawa looks like a postapocalyptic movie, with heavy smog and orange skies as Quebec wildfires continue to burn. Is this a preview for what Toronto can expect?

Ottawa residents awoke Tuesday morning to hazy skies and a thick blanket of smog caused by forest fires raging across Quebec.

Photos and videos pouring out of the nation’s capital show the city shrouded with wildfire smoke, reducing visibility and almost entirely obscuring the sun.

The air quality index reading for downtown Ottawa was above a level 10 on Tuesday morning, indicating a “very high risk” to health.

Environment Canada and the Province of Ontario issued a special air quality statement for the city early Tuesday morning, warning of “high levels” of air pollution due to smoke from the fires.

“Smoke plumes from local forest fires as well as forest fires in Quebec have resulted in deteriorated air quality,” the statement read in part. “Poor air quality may persist through most of this week.”

Officials said residents in affected areas should reduce their exposure to smoke by keeping windows and doors shut, while those who must go outdoors should use a well-fitted respirator-type mask.

“Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations,” officials added in the statement.

The scenes out of Ottawa could be a harbinger of what is to come for Toronto, as the smoke is predicted to blow south later in the week.

Though Toronto’s current air quality health index was at a level 3 on Tuesday morning, indicating a “low risk” to health, Environment Canada and the Province of Ontario also issued a special air quality statement for the region, with moderate to high-risk air quality health index values expected later on Tuesday and into Wednesday.

As of Sunday, there more than 150 wildfires were burning in Quebec. Multiple provinces, including Alberta and Nova Scotia, are also battling forest fires, as the country could witness its most devastating wildfire season on record.

“Our modelling shows that this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout the summer,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Ottawa on Monday.

Bill Blair, the federal minister for emergency preparedness, echoed the warning, saying the images and reports of wildfire activity across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed.

Joshua Chong is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star’s Express Desk. Follow him on Twitter: @joshualdwchong