WASHINGTON, June  8, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Smoke from Canadian wildfires 
continued to shroud US cities in a noxious haze Thursday, forcing flight delays 
and cancellations to outdoor activities as environmental groups called for 
urgent action to tackle climate change.

 Residents in the capital Washington awoke to an acrid smell and 
orange-tinged skies, with the Environmental Protection Agency rating parts of 
the mid-Atlantic region at "Code Maroon," the highest category of the Air 
Quality Index, signaling hazardous conditions.

This made some parts of the United States among the most polluted in the 
world, worse than cities in South Asia and China that normally dominate global 
rankings, with the situation not expected to improve until the weekend.

 "Today's air quality is extremely unhealthy," tweeted Washington's 
Department of Energy & Environment, as the city advised residents to avoid 
exercising outdoors, keep windows shut and use high-caliber masks.

 The White House postponed an outdoor Pride event, though a parade and 
festival this weekend remain on course now. The National Zoo meanwhile 
announced it would close "for the safety of our animals, our staff and our 
guests."

 And the Washington Nationals, the capital's Major League Baseball team, 
announced it was postponing its afternoon game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

 Hemadri Vora, a 42-year-old tourist from Mumbai, was spending the day with 
her family in Washington after a visit to New York.

 "It's a little disappointing," she said, though she was used to similar 
pollution levels back home. "Obviously, the pictures are not going to be very 
clear."

 Public schools in the capital canceled all outdoor activities including 
recess, physical education, athletic practices and competitions.

 The Federal Aviation Administration meanwhile said low visibility had 
forced it to take steps to "manage the flow of traffic safely into New York 
City, DC, Philadelphia and Charlotte."

Environmental groups were quick to draw attention to climate change, which 
is creating warmer, drier conditions that are increasing the risk and extent of 
wildfires.

"This is the climate crisis, here and now, causing dangerous air pollution 
and threatening the health of millions of people," said May Boeve, Chief 
Executive of 350.org.

 Her comments echoed UN chief Antonio Guterres, who tweeted: "With global 
temperatures on the rise, the need to urgently reduce wildfire risk is critical.

 "We must make peace with nature. We cannot give up."
       
       - 'Reminded me of 9/11' -
    
       
 Skies were noticeably clearer in New York compared to the day before, even 
as the air quality index remained high.

 Officials handed out face coverings at train stations, bus depots and parks.

 Linda Juliano, a 65-year-old secretary, gladly accepted one at Grand 
Central station in Midtown Manhattan.

 "I've never seen anything like it," she told AFP, describing the 
sepia-tinged smog that engulfed New York on Wednesday as "scary."

 "It reminded me a lot of 9/11, seeing the sky all smoky and everything," 
said Juliano, who kept the windows closed and the air conditioner on at her 
home in Huntington, Long Island.

 Meanwhile in Canada, pollution from wildfires is expected to peak Thursday 
in Toronto, Environment Canada said.

 With nearly 800,000 hectares (two million acres) affected, according to the 
Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU), Quebec is 
experiencing a historic season. 

 Twice as many blazes have been recorded this year compared to the average 
over the past ten years.

 On Thursday, the French-speaking province still had more than 150 active 
fires, including nearly 90 out of control.

 New reinforcements -- from the United States, France and Portugal -- are 
expected in the hours and days to come. More than 12,000 people have been 
evacuated within the space of a few days.

 The situation remains worrying in several regions, explained Stephane 
Caron, of SOPFEU.

 "We are only at the very beginning of this fire season. We are now entering 
the period when usually there are beginning to be larger fires in Quebec," he 
said.

 The risk of a new outbreak is rated "extreme" by authorities in the western 
part of Quebec. 

 These blazes are of high intensity and spread rapidly, and are therefore 
very complex for firefighters to stop, officials say.