Dramatic scenes of smog and haze were seen on the US East Coast, especially in New York on 7 June, after smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted down.
Dheeral Bhayani, an Indian student in New York, spoke to The Quint about the situation, which "looks like the apocalypse."
"It got very smoggy and hazy on Tuesday, so I assumed the temperature was dropping. When I checked the weather reports, they said the air quality in New York would worsen."
New York residents were encouraged to stay indoors as the thick haze led to flight delays and postponed various sporting events in the city.
According to Bhayani, Tuesday was still better. But things took a drastic turn on Wednesday.
"Today (Wednesday), I left my house at 9:30 am, and the sky was normal. By 11:30 am, the haze started turning yellowish. By 3:30-4:00 pm, everything was orange. It was windy, and it smelt terrible– like burnt ash. You can barely see into the distance. My eyes were itchy, and my throat was dry.
Bhayani also added that the situation was reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Everyone was masked up and instructed to stay indoors. My classes had shifted online for the day. It reminded me of the pandemic," she said.
"We expect air quality to continue to deteriorate tomorrow, and the Air Quality Health Advisory remains in effect until late Thursday night."New York Mayor Eric Adams
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