\n In Ontario alone, there are a total of 191 active fires, which is seven more than Friday, Premier Doug Ford said at a Saturday news conference. More than 150 fire crews are working across the province, he added.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cSince the beginning of this year, we\u2019ve been obviously prepping for another season of wildfires,\u201d Mike Harris, Ontario\u2019s minister of natural resources, said. \u201cBut this year has been unprecedented. We\u2019ve seen fire activity like never before.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Smoke put a damper on outdoor summer events across over a dozen states under air quality alerts. Events ranging from a baby parade <\/a>in Flint, Michigan, to a rock concert<\/a> in Herndon, Virginia, and the America\u2019s Mile<\/a> marathon in Pittsburgh were canceled Friday as smoke lingered. Businesses have also suffered during a busy season: Amusement parks like Kennywood and Sandcastle Water Park in Pennsylvania were shuttered due to the poor air quality.\n <\/p>\n \n Highly anticipated sporting events like the Cleveland Guardians game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the RowFest National Championships in Michigan were called off or postponed.\n <\/p>\n \n But one question looms as thick as the smoke itself: Will the air pollution be a problem for the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon in New York City?\n <\/p>\n \n The good news: The heaviest smoke could clear out of the region ahead of the final. The bad news: Some less dense, thinner smoke plumes could move into the area.\n <\/p>\n \n DC resident Abigail Nguyen planned to watch the World Cup on the National Mall with thousands of other soccer fans. Now she says she\u2019ll just watch it with her roommates at home.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI can\u2019t really get the full effect and energy of the crowd, which is so sad, because we should be celebrating this summer event instead of being holed up inside,\u201d she said.\n <\/p>\n \n Residents from Minnesota to Washington, DC, told CNN the noxious air has disrupted their lives, seeping into everything from their health and leisure to their businesses and family life.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThese folks\u2019 livelihoods have been upended by these fires,\u201d Mike Warnke of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources told CNN\u2019s Danny Freeman on Saturday. \u201cAnd essentially the summer businesses that rely on all the summer tourism (have) really been turned off for the moment.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Officials in a handful of states most impacted advised residents to stay indoors and to wear masks if they need to leave their homes.\n <\/p>\n \n For some, the shutdowns and masking guidance brought flashbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic about six years ago. Others like Cotton were reminded of past natural disasters, leaving them wary of stepping outside.\n <\/p>\n \n Communities across parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast will face poor air quality until Saturday afternoon, when a storm system arrives to help clear the air.\n <\/p>\n \n Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit had some of the worst air quality in the country Friday morning, but dangerous levels of pollution stretched into southern Ohio and West Virginia.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cChicago is currently experiencing its worst air quality in recorded history,\u201d the mayor\u2019s office said in a social media post<\/a> Thursday evening. \u201cPlease stay indoors, and if you must go outdoors, use a well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask for your safety.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The Detroit Health Department<\/a> is offering free masks to residents and encouraging everyone to stay inside. In Philadelphia, \u201ceveryone is likely to experience health effects from being exposed\u201d to smoke in the air, officials warned in a news release<\/a> Friday.\n <\/p>\n \n In the nation\u2019s capital, DC Health is distributing masks to government personnel working outside, the department told CNN on Friday. Government outdoor activities have been canceled and outdoor pools and spray parks have closed, it added.\n <\/p>\n \n The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control anticipates<\/a> unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups Saturday \u2014 an improvement from what the state experienced Friday, grappling with air quality considered \u201cvery unhealthy\u201d before downgrading to \u201cunhealthy\u201d air quality, CNN affiliate WRDE<\/a> reported.\n <\/p>\n \n Despite the smoky conditions, even the most vulnerable visitors still gathered at Rehoboth Beach in Sussex County on Friday.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThose of us who have allergies and asthma, it\u2019s difficult. We have to make sure we have our asthma inhaler with us,\u201d Dawne English told WRDE. \u201cIt\u2019s so hazy. You can\u2019t even see the water out there. It\u2019s crazy.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n On Friday, it took Cotton twice as long to drive as traffic swelled in DC, with most choosing to drive rather than walk through smoke-filled streets. She then arrived at her daughter\u2019s summer camp to find outdoor activities had been canceled.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe kids showed up in their swimsuits but could not go outside to play because of how bad the air quality and smoke was,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the kids had meltdowns.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Nguyen was excited to enjoy a warm summer outdoors before the smoke left her hesitant to step outside for her routine runs to the National Mall and daily walks with her dog.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI can\u2019t see three blocks down. Everything is so hazy outside. My eyes were actually stinging a bit,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can tell the air is harder to breathe from the smoke. I\u2019ve never experienced this type of air before.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n A California transplant who lives in Pennsylvania, Coty Jen, said she has \u201cexperienced way more wildfires than I want to.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI have my air filter on, and I\u2019m still wearing an N95 mask in my office,\u201d said Jen, a chemical engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University. \u201cIt comes in through the seams of the window, through the doors. It\u2019s all-encompassing, and it makes my lungs hurt. It gives me headaches.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n While some businesses relying on summer traffic have been forced to temporarily close their doors, others refuse to let the smoke alter their plans.\n <\/p>\n \n The Northern Lakes Arts Association in Ely, Minnesota, is opening its production of \u201cJesus Christ Superstar\u201d Friday night as wildfires rage across the state.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cLet\u2019s create a space where community can gather and have an experience together,\u201d Ian Francis Lah, the executive artistic director, told CNN. \u201cAnd hopefully offer them a reprieve from the smoke and the fire, and then the constant dread of who knows what tomorrow is going to bring.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n An indoor bowling alley, playground and pickleball court in northeast Wisconsin have seen increased attendance this week during what would otherwise be a more quiet season.\n <\/p>\n![\"Smoke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ap26198688546948.jpg\")
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