{"success":true,"data":{"id":"e439c8a9-eecc-4756-8c8e-55dc5c4b91d0","title":"Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota pushes further into US, engulfing DC in eerie haze","summary":"US Edition Change Support Now × \"Clear search box\") Custom Search Sort by Relevance Date NewsNews World CupWorld Cup SportsSports CultureCulture LifestyleLifestyle MoneyMoney TravelTravel PremiumPremium More More Thank you for registering Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the si...","content":"US Edition Change\n\nSupport Now\n\n[×](javascript:void(0) \"Clear search box\")\n\nCustom Search\n\nSort by\n\nRelevance\n\nDate\n\n*   News[News](https://www.independent.co.uk/us)\n\n*   World Cup[World Cup](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup)\n\n*   Sports[Sports](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport)\n\n*   Culture[Culture](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment)\n\n*   Lifestyle[Lifestyle](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style)\n\n*   Money[Money](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money)\n\n*   Travel[Travel](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/travel)\n\n*   Premium[Premium](https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium)\n\nMore\n\nMore\n\n### Thank you for registering\n\nPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in\n\n# Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota pushes further into US, engulfing DC in eerie haze\n\n## Millions of people in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are muddling through another day of hazy, unhealthy air as smoke from wildfires in Minnesota and Canada push south and east\n\n[Philip Marcelo](https://www.independent.co.uk/author/philip-marcelo)Friday 17 July 2026 21:29 BST\n\n*   Copy link  \n*   Bookmark  \n\n## Bookmark popover\n\nRemoved from bookmarks\n\nClose popover\n\nShow all 5\n\n### Your support helps us to tell the story\n\nFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.\n\nAt such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.\n\nThe Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.\n\n**Your support makes all the difference.**\n\nMillions of people in the [Great Lakes](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/great-lakes), Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states muddled through another day of unhealthy air from uncontrolled wildfires on Friday, as smoke enveloped the nation’s capital in a gloomy, eerie haze.\n\nAir quality warnings were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., but there’s potential for temporary relief with rains and storms forecast over a chunk of the affected region over the weekend.\n\nThe smoky conditions won't be gone anytime soon, though, as fires burn unchecked across a remote region of [Canada](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/canada), cautioned Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service based in Maryland. Wildfires in a wilderness area in [Minnesota](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/minnesota) are also contributing to the smoke.\n\n“The source of the smoke is going to continue on for certainly a week, probably,” he said. “So in some form, there’s going to be smoke that gets transported from the fires downstream, and it’s just going to depend upon which way the wind’s blowing as to where the smoke is going to affect the most.”\n\nOn Friday, communities in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois closest to the Canadian border and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota again registered some of the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, an air quality monitoring website.\n\nUndo\n\nUndo\n\n[](https://gateway.app.autodealsnearyou.com/track)[Looking to Buy a New Home Nearby? 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The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and other national landmarks could be seen enveloped in a thick, orange-hued haze in the morning.\n\n“Wow that Canadian smoke haze is no joke,” Stewart Verdery, a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, wrote on X as he shared a panorama of D.C. at sunrise. “Almost nothing visible - no sun, no monuments, no Reagan Airport.”\n\nAir in and around Washington was expected to go from bad to worse as the day progressed, reaching “very unhealthy” and potentially “hazardous” levels on the air quality index, regional officials said.\n\n[People](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/people), particularly those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children, were urged to limit or avoid going outside as much as possible until air quality improved.\n\nThere was also concern in the [New York](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/new-york) City area about how the foul air might impact the World Cup final match between soccer powerhouses Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.\n\nOravec said winds will continue pushing the wildfire smoke east in the U.S., though conditions should be better on game day Sunday than on Saturday.\n\nJust a day earlier, a thick haze tinged with orange and yellow darkened skies across several states and partly obscured Manhattan’s skyline.\n\nOfficials from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other Northeast states distributed free K95 face masks, canceled outdoor programming and opened libraries and other public buildings as cooling centers where people could get a respite from the sooty air.\n\nAs Friday progressed, air quality measures improved from “unhealthy” to “moderate” in some places in and around New York City.\n\nA strong sun broke through a thin veil of smoke, and large chunks of clear blue sky were visible across much of the region by Friday afternoon.\n\nSaturday brings a high chance of thunderstorms across much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, which will help dampen the bad air.","source_name":"The Independent","source_url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/minnesota-new-york-canada-great-lakes-people-b3017198.html","url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/minnesota-new-york-canada-great-lakes-people-b3017198.html","author":"Philip Marcelo","author_name":"Philip Marcelo","published_at":"2026-07-17T20:29:46.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-17T20:29:46.000Z","image_url":"https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/07/17/21/Climate_Wildfires_Smoke_Washington_88354.jpg?quality=75&width=640&height=614&fit=bounds&format=pjpg&crop=16%3A9%2Coffset-y0.5&auto=webp","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":5,"word_count":882,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot"}}