Videos capture smoke from Canadian wildfires as it engulfs New York City in haze
NEW YORK (WABC) -- 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.
The effects of hundreds of wildfires burning across the western provinces to Quebec could be felt as far away as New York City and New England, blotting out skylines and irritating throats.
Smoke from Canada's wildfires has been moving into the United States since last month. The most recent fires near Quebec have been burning for at least several days.
U.S. authorities issued air quality alerts. Hazy conditions and smoke from the wildfires were reported across the Great Lakes region from Cleveland to Buffalo.
The air quality alerts caution "sensitive groups," a big category that includes children, older adults, and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A smoky haze that hung over New York City much of the day Tuesday thickened in the late afternoon, obscuring views of New Jersey across the Hudson River and making the setting sun look like a reddish orb.
A time-lapse courtesy of Earth Cam captured the smoke as it blanketed One World Trade Center.
As of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the New York City skyline had taken on an eerie orange glow.
Eyewitness News Reporter Josh Einiger captured the smoke blanketing the area while onboard a plane arriving at LaGuardia Airport.
A pilot at LaGuardia Airport captured this video.
Video from Eyewitness News cameras captured smoke building around the area at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Rob McDonagh recorded New York City's skyline under the wildfire haze from Brooklyn.
Twitter user @wx_ethan captured this footage in Lansing on Tuesday. From that vantage point in Myers Park on a clear day, you can see the city of Ithaca.
In Rochester, Twitter user @jodispayne70 captured the hazy conditions from a rooftop.
In Potsdam, New York, near the Canadian border, Ricard Ohanlon filmed the sunrise shrouded in smoke.
Amy Ballesteros, an attendee at Tuesday's Yankee game, recorded the stadium engulfed in smoke from the wildfires.
From this view at the George Washington Bridge, not only should you be able to see the NYC skyline clearly, but also the Hudson River.
Many of New York City's landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty, were hard to make out through all the smoke.
It's a good time to put off that yard work and outdoor exercise. If you go out, consider wearing an N95 mask to reduce your exposure to pollutants.
Stay inside, keeping your doors, windows and fireplaces shut. It's recommended that you run the air conditioning on a recirculation setting.
Have videos or photos of the wildfire haze to share with Eyewitness News? Please fill out the form below to submit.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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