The Big Apple turns orange

More than 100 million people were in danger last week in the US. It was because of the low quality of the air. Terrible fires in Quebec, Canada started the problem, together with winds. These winds pushed the fires south. Many US cities, such as New York, Chicago and Washington DC, were covered by orange smoke.

Many famous buildings couldn't be seen, as New Yorker Jack Wright says.

Jack Wright: "You can't even see the Statue of Liberty today and usually it's bright and clear."

Nicha was visiting from Thailand. She was disappointed not to see the views.

Nicha Suaittiyanon: "I'm trying to like get lots of pictures as much as I can, but as you can see, when I took pictures I cannot see like the building even. I can't even see like the bridge in the pictures."

The government's environment agency warned the public about the air quality. It said the air was dirty, and the situation was dangerous. The smoke can be bad for people's health. People who have asthma and other breathing problems can become ill.

Jack Wright has begun coughing due to the orange smoke. The cough reminds Jack of when he used to smoke.

Jack Wright: "It's generated a kind of a cough all day long. I haven't, I quit smoking 50 years ago, but it's kind of a cough that I would have when I smoked."

Others, like Charmaine Franco, put on face masks when outside.

Charmaine Franco: "You know, it's a bit cloudy, makes my eyes water, you know. As I had to bring her out today, you know, we had to make sure to keep our masks on because of the air quality, to make sure that, you know, we are okay. But you can't stay out here for too long, but you have to do what you have to do, so you have to get back inside."

The situation improved slightly, but the smell stayed. For Nicha, this and also her painful eyes were annoying. But local Pamela Roderick didn't mind.

Nicha Suaittiyanon: "I smell kind of like someone's like doing barbecue or like all the time and then my eyes got watery and like itchy all the time yesterday, so the all, the whole evening was, for me, kind of like smoking, like smelling smoking and then my eyes are itchy."

Pamela Roderick: "So no, it doesn't bother me. I mean, you know, New York often smells kind of strange."

View Less