On Tuesday, the sky around New York turned hazy from the smoke, shifting from pale yellow to a deep, burnt orange. By Wednesday, ash was falling. Flights were cancelled, schools closed, sports games and theatre productions were cancelled. At a Broadway matinee, the actress Jodie Comer left the stage saying she couldn’t breathe. New York City recorded the worst air pollution of any major city in the world. The smoke came from Canada, where more than 400 wildfires are burning, nearly 250 of them out of control. The wildfire season has started early, and Canadian officials are warning it could be the worst season on record as climate change creates longer, hotter, drier summers. Millions of Americans have been told to stay indoors as the smoke drifts down the east coast – but that may not protect people from the short and long-term effects of poor air quality. So even inside, people are donning masks again. New York’s governor said around a million N95-style masks would be made available to the public.
Photograph David Dee Delgado/Getty Images