Photos: Canada wildfire smoke shrouds iconic American landmarks
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June 07, 2023
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June 7, 2023: A man talks on his phone as he looks through the haze at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey on Wednesday. Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Scenes all too familiar to Bay Area residents played out across the eastern seaboard on Wednesday as wildfire smoke from hundreds of Canadian infernos covered iconic landmarks, including One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty and the White House, with a thick haze.
The smoke also held up flights at major airports, forced postponements of Major League Baseball games and ignited a return to pandemic-era masking for East Coast residents from New York to as far south as North Carolina and as far west as Indiana, according to the Associated Press.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state would make 1 million N95 masks available on Thursday as the New York Times reported that New York City was experiencing its worst air quality since the Environmental Protection Agency began recording such measurements in 1999.
Hochul added that while a normal AQI is 50, Brooklyn recorded an AQI of 413 and Queens recorded an AQI of 407, marking an 800% increase over what is generally considered safe.
Canadian officials asked other countries for additional help fighting the conflagrations, which have displaced 20,000 people and are creating that nation’s worst-ever wildfire season.
In response, President Joe Biden dispatched 600 firefighters and equipment. Meanwhile, Canadian officials say 950 firefighters and personnel have arrived from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa since its wildfire season began.
The National Weather Service, in local bulletins, said the duration of the smoky conditions will depend on weather patterns and how long the Canadian wildfires remained active and uncontained.
June 7, 2023: Smoky haze from wildfires in Canada blankets a neighborhood in the Bronx borough of New York City. New York topped the list of most polluted major cities in the world on Tuesday night, as smoke from the fires continues to blanket the East Coast. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) June 7, 2023: People wear masks as they wait for the tramway to Roosevelt Island as smoke from Canadian wildfires casts a haze over the area on in New York City. Air pollution alerts were issued across the United States due to smoke from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) June 7, 2023: Traffic moves along West Street past One World Trade Center in New York City in this mirror image reflected in the facade of a building on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andy Bao) June 7, 2023: Water flows beneath the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge as smoke from Canadian wildfires casts a haze over the area on in New York City. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) June 7, 2023: Golfers watch their shots at the driving range at Valley Country Club in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, as smoke from wildfires in Canada fill the air, Wednesday. (John Haeger/Standard-Speaker via AP) June 7, 2023: A boat navigates the East River between the Manhattan Bridge, left, and Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman) June 7, 2023: A person looks out at the New York City skyline as it’s covered with haze and smoke from Canada wildfires on Wednesday in Weehawken, New Jersey. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images) June 07, 2023: Haze caused by Canadian wildfires obscures the White House in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) June 7, 2023: Haze blankets the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) June 07, 2023: Tourists walk around the base of the Washington Monument as wildfire smoke obscures the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall on in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) June. 7, 2023: Wildfire smoke that blew south from active infernos in Canada hazes the New York City skyline on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) June 6, 2023: A photographer documents the haze-shrouded New York City skyline and East River on Wednesday. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images) June 06, 2023: Wildfire smoke that traveled south from Canada hazes the Statue of Liberty in New York City on Wednesday. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Originally published at Dylan Bouscher, Staff and wire reports
