Smoke from Canadian wildfires ravages northern US, triggers air quality alerts
Smoke from Canada’s wildfires blankets major northern U.S. cities, triggering hazardous air quality alerts in 15 states for more than 100 million Americans. Health experts point to serious long-term and short-term risks from fine particles, including worsening asthma, heart disease and potential cancer risks.
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Wildfires in Canada have had adverse effects in the Midwest and Northeast, affecting some sports competitions.
On Thursday, a Major League Soccer game was postponed, while an MLB game in Philadelphia had to be moved up an hour due to concerns.
As the unofficial second half of the Major League Baseball season began Friday, five games were scheduled to be played in affected areas, several of them bringing logistical changes.
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Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, during a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets on July 16, 2026. The Mets defeated the Phillies 4-1. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Here are the game updates.
Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET
The Yankees postponed a game in 2023 because of poor air quality, even though at that time it was more than double the 150 range it was this week.
The quality in New York improved throughout the day and the match should be played.
Chicago White Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays, 7:15 p.m. ET
Of course, the Blue Jays are playing in the country where the wildfires broke out, which raises concerns. The city was at dangerous levels Thursday evening, but reached “low health risk” Friday afternoon. However, neighboring Ontario cities still had elevated health risk levels in the afternoon.
Fortunately, the Blue Jays play under a retractable roof at the Rogers Center, and the team announced shortly after 1 p.m. ET that the roof would be closed due to air quality.
The Blue Jays say that if a game begins with the roof closed, “it may still be opened before the end of the sixth inning if the umpire in chief and MLB officials agree that the weather has changed in a manner that will ensure the comfort and enjoyment of the fans.” Typically, the roof can only change status once per game.
A general view of Citizens Bank Park in foggy conditions caused by the Canadian wildfires in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The game between the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed due to poor air quality. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Miami Marlins @ Milwaukee Brewers, 7:40 p.m. ET
As of 1:10 p.m. ET, Milwaukee’s air quality was “very unhealthy” with an index of 287, but it was lowered to 133 by 5 p.m. The Brewers said the game would be played as scheduled normally (American Family Field has a retractable roof), but fans were given the option to exchange their tickets for another game this season if they preferred.
Milwaukee has similar regulations for its roof as the Blue Jays, in that it must “only be closed in the event of imminent rain or other adverse weather conditions”, and the roof can only be opened if “in the opinion of the home club, the climatic environment has reached a level where the comfort and enjoyment of fans will be best served by opening the roof to natural atmospheric conditions.”
Pittsburgh Pirates @ Cleveland Guardians, 7:10 p.m. ET
At 3 p.m. ET, the Guardians released their lineup on social media. But less than two hours later, they announced the game was rescheduled for Saturday as part of a day-night doubleheader. If fans cannot attend the makeup, they can exchange their tickets for an upcoming game.
A view of Progressive Field as smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets the sky during the third inning of the Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians game in Cleveland, Ohio, June 6, 2025. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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As of 5 p.m. ET, Cleveland’s air quality was 209, rated “very unhealthy.” Nearby Akron reached “dangerous” levels near 500 Thursday evening.
Minnesota Twins @ Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m. ET
The air quality index was a “very unhealthy” 241 in the Windy City in the afternoon, but then dropped to 138. This is a rare Friday night game at Wrigley, but starting at 5:10 p.m. ET the game will be played.
