Canada issues air quality alert as smoke from wildfires blankets landmarks | World News

New Yorkers have been warned to limit their outdoor activities as smoke from wildfires in Canada wafts through much of the northeastern United States.

Air quality in the state is currently “unhealthy,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency, with a murky fog hovering over landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Times Square.

More than 150 wildfires erupted on Tuesday, forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate, as wildfires broke out unusually early and intensely in Quebec, Canada.

Many of the fires are said to have been caused by lightning strikes.

U.S. officials said residents with heart and lung disease, the elderly and children should limit their outdoor activities, and everyone else should reduce the amount of activity and exercise.

The New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC areas are among the states with “unhealthy” fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) readings.

Canada’s largest city, Toronto, has also warned residents about air quality, and visitors to the CN Tower were met with a dull orange hue instead of clear skies in early summer.

An eerie fog hung over the New York Yankees-Chicago White Sox game on Tuesday night.

Canada’s capital, Ottawa, has issued an even more severe aviation alert, which authorities have rated as category 10 or higher, indicating “very high risk”.

Wildfires are common in western Canada, but more than 110 are said to have gone out of control in eastern Canada this year, with major blazes raging.

Some 3.3 million hectares have already been burned, about 13 times the 10-year average, and more than 120,000 people have been displaced.

The remote Quebec town of Sibougamau, with a population of about 7,500, was the latest to begin evacuations late Tuesday.

“We are, of course, following all this moment by moment,” said Quebec Premier François Legault.

“Looking at the situation across Quebec, there are still some areas of concern.”

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He said the Abitibi-Themiscumming area in northwestern Quebec was of particular concern.

The United States, Mexico, France and South Africa have also deployed firefighters, but it is likely that the fires will be more difficult to extinguish with no rain expected soon.