00:02If you step outside this morning and the sky looks hazy or the sun has an orange tint, you're not
00:08imagining it.
00:09Wildfire smoke from Canada is spreading across the eastern half of the country, and for millions of people, today could
00:16be the worst of it.
00:17From New York City to Chicago, which you're looking at, people are masking up as thick smoke from Canadian wildfires
00:23pushes air quality to unhealthy and, in some places, hazardous levels.
00:27I was a bit surprised. I live down in Miami, so we don't really get that much wildfires happening, and
00:35it's a bit overwhelming.
00:36I had to run to the store and buy myself a mask and a mercy inhaler, and I was not
00:41expecting this.
00:42The smoke, as you see here, is pouring south from hundreds of active fires burning across Ontario and British Columbia,
00:50where crews continue to battle large out-of-control wildfires.
00:53The smoke has also turned skies hazy across the Midwest and Northeast, and triggering air quality alerts from the Great
01:01Lakes to New England.
01:03Come out the subway, chest started to give me some issues, nose was burning, I can taste it.
01:10So I'm just sitting here like, wow, I really need a mask.
01:13One pilot flying near Thunder Bay, Ontario, thought he was looking at a line of thunderstorms, until he got closer
01:20and realized the massive plume below was smoke pouring from active wildfires.
01:25In fact, some pilots are now reporting ash buildup on their plane's windshield while they are flying.
01:31Health officials are urging people, especially children, older adults, and those with heart or lung conditions, to limit time outdoors
01:38if they can.
01:39Forecasters say conditions should start to improve across parts of the Northeast later today,
01:45though smoke could linger into the weekend in some areas as new plumes continue to drift south.
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