Photos: NYC sees wildfire smoke reminiscent of SF in 2020

(KRON) — If photos of the orange-hued skies across New York City look a little familiar, it’s no surprise. San Franciscans also saw orange when several wildfires across the Golden State blanketed the Bay Area with smoke in 2020.

Canadian wildfires are sending plumes of smoke down the East Coast this week. Smoke from the blazes in various parts of the country has been lapping into the U.S. since last month but intensified with a recent spate of fires in Quebec, where about 100 were considered out of control Wednesday.

“The smoke was insane” on Tuesday, said Zachary Kamel, 36, of Montreal. “I had to close my window because the fresh air just smelled like campfire.”

Some people as far west as Indiana are seeing heavy smoke in the air. People as far south as North Carolina report the same. But further north, the smoke’s presence is more than palpable.

“I can taste the air,” Dr. Ken Strumpf said in a Facebook post from Syracuse, New York, which was enveloped in an amber pall. The smoke, he later said by phone, even made him a bit dizzy. People have been seen pulling out their face masks to keep from breathing the thick air.

The scene is reminiscent of the summer of 2020, when wildfires sent plumes of smoke across the Bay Area. Californians have grown accustomed to navigating wildfire smoke after decades of blazes have impacted the state. The orange sky still shocked many, including travelers at San Francisco International Airport.

The Canadian wildfire smoke has also impacted travel across the East Coast and beyond this week. The Federal Aviation Administration paused some flights bound for LaGuardia Airport and slowed planes to Newark Liberty because the smoke was limiting visibility.

The smoke also contributed to delayed arrivals at Dulles International Airport outside Washington. The Federal Aviation Administration is now slowing traffic from the East Coast and Midwest that is bound for Philadelphia International Airport due to reduced visibility in the area.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.