Photos: Smoke Grinds City to a Halt With Relief in Sight

Smoke continues to shroud the sun as it rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on June 7, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Corbis News via Getty Images

Smoke from out-of-control Canadian wildfires has continued to roll into New York City, blanketing the five boroughs and much of the northeast for a third straight day. Though conditions are slightly improved on Thursday compared to Wednesday’s thick haze, the city is still under an air-quality advisory through midnight, grinding many activities to a halt.

Pedestrians wear face masks as smoke from Canada wildfires blankets New York, US, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Photo: Alex Kent/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Lower Manhattan is barely visible as heavy smoke shrouds Manhattan in a view looking south from the Empire State Building as the sun sets on June 6, 2023, in New York City. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

New Yorkers are being advised to stay indoors whenever possible and to wear a high-quality mask if they must go outside. Free N-95 masks are being distributed at various MTA, LIRR, and MetroNorth stations as well as by the FDNY at several locations across the five boroughs.

Wildfire smoke poses a health risk because it contains fine particles that can affect the heart and lungs if inhaled. At points on Tuesday and Wednesday, the city had the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, which monitors pollution around the globe.

Heavy smoke turns the sky yellow as people walk across 42nd Street in Times Square at sunset on June 6, 2023, in New York City. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

The sun is shrouded as it rises in a smokey sky behind the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and One Vanderbilt in New York City on June 8, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

The New York Times reports that around 437 fires were still burning in Canada, per the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. 248 of those fires remain out of control.

A man photographs the Chrysler Building shrouded in heavy smoke from the observation deck at the Empire State Building on June 6, 2023, in New York City. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

General view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires as Clarke Schmidt #36 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on June 06, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

During a briefing Wednesday evening, Mayor Eric Adams advised New Yorkers that though conditions will improve Thursday morning, they are expected to “deteriorate further” in the afternoon and evening.

“Our city is strong and resilient. We have faced crises before, and we will get through this together. Stay indoors, stay safe, and mask up if you are outside,” he said.

People gather for a morning yoga class on The Edge observation deck as haze caused by smoke from wildfires burning in Canada engulfs New York on June 7, 2023. Photo: Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

People attend a morning yoga class on The Edge observation deck as a haze caused by smoke from wildfires burning in Canada hangs over Manhattan in New York on June 7, 2023. Photo: Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The unhealthy air-quality has forced the cancellations of several events across the city. All outdoor activities sponsored by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department have been cancelled for Thursday. Local beaches will also be closed to swimmers. The Central Park Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and the New York Aquarium will all be closed to guests on Thursday. Major League Baseball postponed Wednesday’s scheduled Yankees game with the intention of it being made up on Thursday as part of a double-header. But it’s unclear if that’ll happen as the air-quality continues to stay at an unhealthy level.

Photo: Chine Nouvelle/SIPA/Shutterstock

People take photos of the sun as smoke from the wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in New York City on June 7, 2023. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

People wear masks as smoke from Canadian wildfires casts a haze over the area on June 7, 2023 in New York City. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

Smoky haze from wildfires in Canada blankets a neighborhood on June 7, 2023 in the Bronx. Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Smoke shrouds the skyline of Brooklyn behind the Statue of Liberty as the sun rises in New York City on June 7, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo: Gary Hershorn/Corbis News via Getty Images