A terrifying time-lapse video has revealed how quickly wildfire smoke camouflaged New York City. The video shows how fastvisibility deteriorated on Wednesday, June 7, as dangerous smoke engulfed NYC.
The video was posted on Twitter bythe National Weather Service. It first shows a visibly clear New York City skyline around 11 am on June 7, but theskyscrapers quickly fade into an orange haze. At 2 pm, it is nearly impossible to see.
NWS New York NY tweeted the video, captioning it, “Check out this almost unbelievable time-lapse of wildfire smoke consuming the World Trade Center and the New York City skyline. Those vulnerable to poor air quality, including seniors and young children, should limit time outdoors if possible.”
Dangerous fumes from the wildfires that are ravaging Canada have turned the skies of various US states orange. Canadian officials confirmed that firefighters are trying to put out the blaze.
Several flights have been grounded as a result of the wildfires and millions of residents are at risk of breathing toxic air. US president Joe Biden discussed the wildfires with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, offering assistance. “To date, the United States has deployed more than 600 U.S. firefighters and support personnel, and other firefighting assets to respond to the fires,” the White House said in a statement.
Schools have announced that all outdoor activities have been canceled, as have been various Broadway shows, including ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ and ‘Camelot’. New York City’s authorities have been slammed with some environmental experts and residents raising questions on whether they acted fast enough and warned people quickly about the dangerous condition. The city’s Office of Emergency Management issued warnings starting the afternoon of June 6. Mayor Eric Adams shared a news release around 11:30 pm. Many said the late notices were unacceptable.
New York state officials issued another Air Quality Health Advisory for Thursday, June 8. It was issued for the entire state except Adirondacks. “DEC and @HealthNYGov have issued another Air Quality Health Advisory tomorrow, June 8th, for all of New York, except the Adirondacks. The air quality is forecasted to reach ‘Unhealthy’ AQI levels in: NYC Metro, Long Island, Eastern Lake Ontario, Central & Western NY,” New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation tweeted.
