Smoky skies threaten American cities and drive residents inside

The Air Quality Division of the Cleveland Department of Public Health and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency have both issued health alerts due to the air. Cleveland canceled all outdoor recreation programs for the day, closed its outdoor pools, spray pools, and water parks, and canceled garbage collection.

The air was so unhealthy that Chris Ronayne, the executive director of Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, canceled his annual county state speech at Jacobs Pavilion in Nautica, an outdoor venue on the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

At the same time, Major League Baseball continued to have games.

In Pittsburgh, where the Air Quality Index had hit 180 at one point, according to AirNow, the Pirates released a statement saying they planned to play their game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. In Chicago, the Cubs still had to respond mid-afternoon to Wednesday-evening’s scheduled game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Health officials said they remained concerned about the lingering effects of the wildfires on vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, those with health problems and the homeless.

Chad Audi, the president of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, which provides services to the homeless, said he was getting more calls on Wednesday about people with asthma and had referred two people to a hospital.

“We bend the rules a bit because they are supposed to leave the facility after breakfast and come back at dinner,” he said of the shelter he runs. “As long as we have poor air quality, we will let people stay. ”

Reporting contributed by Scott Atkinson, Delger Erdenesanaa, Lola Fadulu, Emma Fitzsimmons, Benjamin Hoffman, Ryan Patrick Hooper, Ida Lieszkovszky, Anushka Patil, Campbell Robertson, Michael D. Shave And Raymond Zhong.