Images of smoke obscuring the New York skyline and the Washington Monument this week have given the world a new picture of the perils of wildfire, far from where blazes regularly turn skies into hazardous haze. A look at why Canadian wildfires are turning US skies hazy.
Smoke from the Quebec fires has spread as far, prompting air quality alerts in Toronto and several US cities including New York, where the Manhattan skyline was barely visible.
Authorities in New York, Toronto and Ottawa on June 6 warned residents about the health risks from air polluted by smoke from unprecedented early summer wildfires in eastern Canada. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued a health advisory for counties including New York, Bronx, and Queens. The state recommended residents consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.