On Thursday, intense wildfire smoke from Canada darkened the skies across a broad expanse from the Great Lakes to parts of the East Coast, leading to reduced visibility. People were warned that the outdoor air quality could pose health risks.

The Statue of Liberty stood shrouded in smoke during the sunset on July 16, 2026, casting a gloomy scene over the Brooklyn borough of New York. In a similar image, the sun, obscured by smoke, rose behind the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, on the following day.

In Washington, D.C., people were seen jogging in front of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with the smoke-dimmed sun in the background. Over in New Jersey, the Jersey City skyline appeared through a thick haze, as did the New York City skyline seen from Jersey City.

In New York, visitors at the Top of the Rock Observation Deck found their view clouded by smoke. Masked passengers were captured on the Staten Island Ferry with a backdrop of a smoke-filled sky.

In Michigan, Michael Lesperance wore a mask while weeding his driveway in Grosse Pointe Park, and a watercraft was seen near Detroit’s skyline under poor air quality conditions. Similarly, in Northbrook, Illinois, a golfer checked his scorecard amid dense smoke.

Philadelphia experienced an orange-tinted sun as the smoke descended, captured during a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets.

In Toronto, a child peered from the CN Tower’s observation deck as wildfire smoke from Northwestern Ontario blanketed the city on the same day.

Photos provided by AP and The Canadian Press illustrate the widespread effects of the Canadian wildfires on both American and Canadian urban landscapes.