Smoke Engulfs New York, Chicago as Canada Wildfires Rage: Photos

Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the Statue of Liberty in New York on July 15. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg Photo by Michael Nagle /Bloomberg

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(Bloomberg) — In Chicago, they’ve shut the beaches and pools. In Toronto, pedestrians are donning masks for protection. And in midtown Manhattan, the streets have emptied out. 

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Across a broad section of North America, dangerous levels of smoke are engulfing major cities as hundreds of wildfires burn through Canada and send plumes across the continent. Air quality alerts have been issued for New York City, as index levels hover above 100, high enough to be dubbed “unhealthy”  by the US Environmental Protection Agency. In the middle of the country, it’s more dire. Chicago’s air-quality index levels are topping 300, government data show — that’s high enough to fall into the “hazardous” category.  Readings for Detroit and Minneapolis also reached “hazardous” levels on Thursday. 

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Midtown Manhattan is typically bustling mid-week with city dwellers and tourists taking to the streets to commute and sightsee. But on Thursday, the streets were relatively empty. Local officials, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, urged residents to take precautions such as wearing masks and limiting time outside.  The region is simultaneously dealing with extreme heat, with the high temperatures also driving people inside.Aziz Hakimzoda, 21, peddles bicycles of tourists around Central Park, often spending 10 or 11 hours outside in the heat. But he’s noticed a drop in business this week as more people avoid extreme temperatures and smoky air. “You have to take care of yourself — to stay inside, to try not to go outside these days,” he said. 

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“Less people are outside. Less tourists are going outside because they worry about the weather, about everything,” he said. 

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The air is taking on an eerie yellow-tinge because of the plumes. And in Chicago, residents have complained that they can feel the smoke in their lungs, even in just short bursts of being outside. 

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Much of the smoke drifting into the US is coming from fires in Ontario. Dozens of fires continue to rage out of control in northern reaches of the Canadian province. Ontario’s government asked the federal government in Ottawa to prepare to provide help evacuating communities in the north — including the possible deployment of Canadian Armed Forces troops.

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The smoke is coming at a time when much of the US is also baking under intense heat. That’s a dangerous combination and raising health risks. It’s also a scenario that’s likely to become even more common as a warming planet makes extreme weather more intense and frequent. Scientists predict such occurrences will increasingly happen at the same time or one after another, a phenomenon known as compound events.

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Research has found that the combination of extreme heat and air pollution can increase the risk of hospitalization or premature death from cardiovascular conditions, as well as respiratory illnesses.

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In Toronto,  Joy Iyalekhue was visiting the city this week from her home in the northwestern Ontario city of Thunder Bay — an area close to numerous fires. She’s been in the city since Saturday and only planned stay about a week, but she’s unsure when she’s likely to return home. 

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“Everybody’s scared, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Iyalekhue said, speaking over her face mask. Speaking of the smoke, she said: “You can feel it — it’s not too natural.” 

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—With assistance from Vivien Ngo.

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