Western wildfire smoke is contributing to New York City’s worst air quality in 15 years

Extreme heat and dry conditions are fueling raging wildfires in the western US, charring more than a million acres, requiring evacuations and creating smoky conditions visible from space.

Smoke stretched early Wednesday all the way to the East Coast, including New York City, because high-level winds carried them thousands of miles from the West.

The smoke mixed down to the surface in New York City, creating an eerie scene Wednesday morning.

The city had a 24-hour average Air Quality Index of 154 on Tuesday, the worst it’s been since June 2006, when the AQI was 157.

The good news is a cold front is ushering the smoke out of the area. And some rain was helping out Wednesday afternoon.

And in Indiana, the Department of Environmental Management asked residents to reduce their activity time outdoors on Wednesday and Thursday. Forecasts predicted high levels of fine particles in the air due to the wildfire smoke, officials said in a news release.

In the West, the fires have caused power outages, destroyed structures and prompted the deployment of the Oregon National Guard.

As extreme drought still grips most of the West and the fires have become so intense they’ve created their own weather systems, the threat of more fires remains.

How to support Western wildfire victims

Wildfire smoke (milky white appearance) is shown on this satellite image from Wednesday afternoon.

In Oregon – where seven active large fires have burned nearly 467,000 acres – officials said the current fire season is unlike any they’ve seen before.

“I would categorize this fire season thus far as historic in terms of the amount of resources we’ve deployed, how many times we’ve deployed – within a three-week period we’ve mobilized to six conflagrations – and this is the earliest and most significant mobilization to date,” State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said Tuesday.

The Alisal Fire burns near Goleta, California, on Tuesday, October 12.

A firefighter puts out a roadside fire in Goleta, California, on Wednesday, October 13.

An air tanker drops retardant on a wildfire in Goleta.

James Grooms looks through the remains of his home at the Rancho Marina Mobile Home & RV Park following the Brannan Fire in Sacramento County, California, on Tuesday, October 12.

Firefighter Tyler McManigal battles the Alisal Fire in Gaviota, California, on October 12.

A forest of ashen trees stands in the wake of the Windy Fire, south of California Hot Springs, on September 27.

A volunteer attempts to evacuate horses to safety as the Windy Fire expands in California's Sequoia National Forest on September 25.

Operations Section Chief Jon Wallace looks at the General Sherman giant sequoia tree at Sequoia National Park on September 22. The base of the tree, the world's largest by volume, was wrapped in an aluminum-based burn-resistant material to protect it from wildfires.

Firefighters spray water as flames from the Windy Fire push toward a road in California's Sequoia National Forest on September 22.

Firefighters battling the Windy Fire extinguish a spot fire in the Sequoia National Forest on September 19.

The Windy Fire burns in the Trail of 100 Giants grove in the Sequoia National Forest on September 19.

A helicopter drops water on the KNP Complex Fire burning in Sequoia National Park on September 15.

Flames from the KNP Complex Fire burn along a hillside in the Sequoia National Park on September 14.

This aerial photo, taken on September 4, shows the Dixie Fire on Horton Ridge in Plumas County, California.

Riley Cantrell cries while she and boyfriend, Bradley Fairbanks, view what's left of her mother's home in Greenville, California, on September 4. It was destroyed by the Dixie Fire.

A firefighter is seen as the Caldor Fire rages near California's Silver Lake on September 2.

A helicopter flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in California's Eldorado National Forest.

Embers fly from a tree as the Caldor Fire burns along Highway 50 in California's Eldorado National Forest.

Veronica Foster, an evacuee from South Lake Tahoe, California, hugs her dog, Gracie, as she and her co-workers gather outside an evacuation center in Gardnerville, Nevada, on August 31. The governors of California and Nevada declared states of emergency as the fast-moving Caldor Fire prompted officials to tell everyone to get out of South Lake Tahoe.

Jason Marone of the Roseville Fire Department hoses down a hot spot in Meyers, California, on August 31.

A tree burns in a blackened forest at dawn on August 30 after the Caldor Fire tore through Twin Bridges, California.

A firefighter winds up hose at a spot fire near Meyers, California, on August 30.

The Caldor Fire burns homes along a ridge near South Lake Tahoe on August 30.

South Lake Tahoe residents are stuck in gridlock while attempting to evacuate the city on August 30.

A tanker makes a fire-retardant drop near Lytle Creek, California, on August 26 as efforts continued to stop the South Fire.

A firefighter tries to extinguish flames at a burning house as the South Fire burned in Lytle Creek, California, on August 25.

From left, Astrid Covarrubias, Jose Lamas and Maria Covarrubias walk through smoke after visiting their burned-out home in Lytle Creek on August 25.

The French Fire continues to spread near Wofford Heights, California, on August 25.

Firefighters are seen behind the flames of a backfire they were setting to battle the French Fire near Wofford Heights.

Crews battle California's Caldor Fire as it moved east toward Lake Tahoe on August 23.

This aerial photo, taken on August 19, shows burned homes at the Creekside Mobile Home Park a day after they were destroyed by the Cache Fire in Clearlake, California.

Firefighters dig a containment line on the Caldor Fire near Pollock Pines, California, on August 18.

Smoke and haze from wildfires obscure the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline on August 18.

In this long-exposure photo, embers light up hillsides as the Dixie Fire burns near Milford, California, on August 17.

Destiney Barnard holds Raymond William Goetchius while stranded at a gas station in Doyle, California, on August 17. Barnard's car broke down as she was helping Raymond and his family flee the Dixie Fire.

Destroyed property is seen August 17 after the Caldor Fire passed through Grizzly Flats, California.

Firefighters spray water on trees being burned by the Dixie Fire near Janesville, California, on August 17.

As the KNP Complex Fire approaches, Forest Service firefighters Armando Flores, right, and Heron Hilbach-Barger clear vegetation around structures at the Ash Mountain headquarters in Sequoia National Park, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2021. The blaze is burning near the Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 giant sequoias.

A firefighting helicopter flies in front of the sun, which was shrouded in thick wildfire smoke near Lakeview, Oregon, on August 15.

Wind blows smoke away for a moment, revealing damage from the Parleys Canyon Fire in Utah on August 14.

Crews battle a fire in Newhall, California, on August 12.

A table and chairs sit in front of a destroyed home in Greenville, California, on August 12.

A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire near Taylorsville, California, on August 10.

Smoke plumes rise from the Kwis Fire near Eugene, Oregon, on August 10.

A firefighter works to extinguish a controlled burn, a preventative measure, to protect a home in Greenville, California, on August 9.

Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear a fallen tree from a roadway in Plumas County, California, on August 6.

Flames from the Dixie Fire consume a pickup truck on Highway 89, south of Greenville, California, on August 5.

Operations Chief Jay Walter passes the historic Sierra Lodge as the Dixie Fire burns through Greenville, California, on August 4. The fire leveled multiple historic buildings and dozens of homes in central Greenville.

Firefighters work at a Greenville home that was engulfed by the Dixie Fire on August 4.

The Dixie Fire burns near Taylorsville, California, on July 29.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak tour an area destroyed by the Tamarack Fire in Gardnerville, Nevada, on July 28.

Firefighter Brentt Call walks through a burned-over area of the Bootleg Fire near Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 27.

Cal Fire Capts. Tristan Gale, left, and Derek Leong monitor a firing operation in California's Lassen National Forest on July 26. Crews had set a ground fire to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading.

Firefighters try to reach a fire site in Quincy, California, on July 25.

Volunteers sort clothing at a donation shelter for those affected by the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon.

Scott Griffin surveys his property, which was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire in Sycan Estates, Oregon.

Flames consume a home as the Dixie Fire tears through the Indian Falls community of Plumas County, California, on July 24.

People stand behind the fire line as flames from the Steptoe Canyon Fire spread through dry grass in Colton, Washington, on July 22.

Plumes of smoke from the Dixie Fire rise above California's Plumas National Forest, near the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Power House, on July 21.

Firefighters walk near a wildfire in Topanga, California, on July 19.

A firefighter does mop-up work in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, which has been struggling with the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.

A car is charred by the Bootleg Fire along a mountain road near Bly, Oregon.

Nicolas Bey, 11, hugs his father, Sayyid, near a donated trailer they are using after their home was burned in the Bootleg Fire near Beatty, Oregon.

Firefighters extinguish hot spots in an area affected by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Oregon.

A bear cub clings to a tree after being spotted by a safety officer at the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.

Firefighters work to protect Markleeville, California, from the Tamarack Fire on July 17. The Tamarack Fire was started by a lightning strike.

The Tamarack Fire burns in Markleeville, near the California-Nevada border, on July 17.

A member of the Northwest Incident Management Team 12 holds a map of the Chuweah Creek Fire as wildfires devastated Nespelem, Washington, on July 16.

A cloud from the Bootleg Fire drifts into the air near Bly, Oregon, on July 16.

Firefighters spray water from the Union Pacific Railroad's fire train while battling the Dixie Fire in California's Plumas National Forest on July 16.

Horses climb a hillside that was burned by the Chuweah Creek Fire in eastern Washington.

Fire from the Bootleg Fire illuminates smoke near Bly, Oregon, on the night of July 16.

A firefighter battles the Bootleg Fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, along the Oregon and California border, on July 15.

A firefighting aircraft drops flame retardant on the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon, on July 15.

Firefighters dig away at hot spots underneath stumps and brush after flames from the Snake River Complex Fire swept through the area south of Lewiston, Idaho, on July 15.

Burned cars sit outside a home that was destroyed by the Chuweah Creek Fire in Nespelem, Washington.

Evacuee Dee McCarley hugs her cat Bunny at a Red Cross center in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 14.

An airplane drops fire retardant on the Chuweah Creek Fire in Washington on July 14.

Operations Section Chief Bert Thayer examines a map of the Bootleg Fire in Chiloquin, Oregon, on July 13.

Fire consumes a home as the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, tears through Doyle, California, on July 10. It's the second time in less than a year that the small town has been ravaged by a wildfire.

Men hug a member of the Red Cross at a Bootleg Fire evacuation center in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Embers blow across a field as the Sugar Fire burns in Doyle, California, on July 9.

Firefighters monitor the Sugar Fire in Doyle, California, on July 9.

In this long-exposure photograph, taken early on July 2, flames surround a drought-stricken Shasta Lake during the Salt Fire in Lakehead, California.

In pictures: Wildfires raging in the West

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At least 1.35 million acres have burned in 78 active large fires across 13 states as of Wednesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 20,000 firefighters and support personnel are deployed to deal with the blazes.

Advisories for elevated fire potential and activity have been issued across Idaho, California, Oregon and the Northern Rockies, according to fire center officials.

It’s not just fires in the US contributing to the smoky haze. The Canadian province of British Columbia declared an emergency due to wildfires there effective Wednesday. Nearly 300 active wildfires have been reported in the province.

Bootleg Fire is largest in country

In Oregon, record-breaking, triple-digit temperatures and severe drought have devastated parts of the state.

The conditions are fueling the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, which is the largest burning wildfire in the country. The Bootleg Fire has scorched more than 395,400 acres and prompted evacuations with only 32% containment, according to InciWeb, the US clearinghouse for wildfire information.

Wildfire smoke from the West's massive blazes stretches all the way to the East Coast

Lower wind speeds and temperatures, and slightly higher humidity Tuesday gave firefighters an advantage, allowing them to continue constructing and improving fire lines, according to Wednesday’s Joint Information Center daily update.

More than 2,200 personnel are involved in firefighting efforts.

Firefighters continue to work the southeastern corner of the blaze where the majority of recent growth has occurred, according to the update.

“Returning residents to these areas may see unburned fuels within the fire perimeter that will continue to burn and produce smoke for weeks,” fire officials said.

Campfires will be banned in all state parks and state-managed forests east of Interstate 5 starting Thursday, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced Wednesday. That covers all regions of the state except the Pacific coast and a portion of the Willamette Valley.

The ban includes not only charcoal and propane fires, but also tiki torches and even candles.

The climate crisis has made deadlier and more destructive wildfires the new normal. And Oregon Gov. Kate Brown cited recent fires, ice storms, record-breaking high temperatures and drought emergencies as evidence that climate change is impacting her state.

“There’s absolutely no question that climate change is playing out for before our eyes,” Brown said at a news conference Tuesday. “We saw the heat dome event a few weeks ago; we unfortunately lost a lot of Oregonians through that event. In February, we saw devastating ice storms, over a half a million people lost power last fall, as you are well aware. We’ve had unprecedented wildfires.”

TOPSHOT - Soldiers of the German armed forces Bundeswehr search for flood victims in submerged vehicles on the federal highway B265 in Erftstadt, western Germany, on July 17, 2021, after heavy rains hit parts of the country, causing widespread flooding and major damage. - Rescue workers scrambled on July 17 to find survivors and victims of the devastation wreaked by the worst floods to hit western Europe in living memory, which have already left more than 150 people dead and dozens more missing. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)

Scientists are worried by how fast the climate crisis has amplified extreme weather

Fire potential in the state is being driven by drought conditions, with 90% of Oregon in either exceptional, extreme or severe drought, Doug Grafe, chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry, said while forecasting a “long, difficult fire season.”

He said it’s possible that another 50,000 to 100,000 acres could burn before the Bootleg Fire is contained.

“The future for us for the remainder of the season continues to look above normal dry and above normal temperatures,” Grafe said. “So this is not going to return to normal anytime soon.”

Red flag warnings in the area will continue into Wednesday evening, signaling dry and windy conditions with lots of smoke, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said.

As a result of the fires, 62 members of the Oregon National Guard have been deployed, along with Blackhawk helicopters to provide water drops, fire spotting and medevac support, Maj. Gen. Michael E. Stencel, adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard, said.

In addition to feeding fires, Oregon’s hot, dry conditions are also impacting Christmas trees grown in the state.

“It’s killing them,” Jacob Hemphill, a Christmas tree farmer in Clackamas County, said of the relentless heat this summer. “It’s horrible, there is nothing we can do.”

Unusually warm temperatures and severe dryness this year have caused irreversible burns on many trees, resulting in fewer trees to choose from this upcoming holiday season as well as potentially higher prices, growers said.

California’s Dixie Fire may have been sparked by electrical equipment

Farther south, the Dixie Fire has burned more than 85,000 acres in Butte County, California, after igniting last week, according to the state department of forestry and fire protection, or Cal Fire. It is approximately 15% contained.

Butte County is the site of California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire in 2018, the Camp Fire. It destroyed 18,804 structures and killed 85 people.

The Dixie Fire is so intense, it produced a thunderstorm, incident meteorologist Julia Ruthford said in a briefing Monday night. “The fire actually generated a thunderstorm over itself that led to some lightning out ahead of it and some really gusty and erratic winds due to that extreme, extreme conditions due to the thunderstorm overhead,” she said.

Evacuations have been ordered in the area and the fire already destroyed two structures and threatens more than 800 others.

Fire consumes homes as the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, tears through Doyle, Calif., on Saturday, July 10, 2021. Pushed by heavy winds, the fire came out of the hills and destroyed multiple residences in central Doyle. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

This California firefighter has been on the job 25 years. He's seen firsthand how wildfires have worsened

On Tuesday, Pacific Gas and Electric said the fire may have been sparked by equipment it manages.

In a preliminary filing with the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E detailed an outage alert July 13, the same day the fire started. A responding utility worker found three blown fuses and a tree leaning into a pole, with a small fire on the ground near the base of the tree.

The fire was reported to authorities and Cal Fire sent aerial firefighters to douse the flames, which had jumped from an initial estimate of 1 to 2 acres, to 10 to 15 acres, according to the filing.

Since then, the fire has grown exponentially, burning in “remote areas with limited access and steep terrain,” Cal Fire said, which is hampering access by ground crews.

Devere Dressler and Valerie Gordon were checking on their neighbors' cows when the Tamarack Fire came up the hill behind the pasture.

Near the California-Nevada border, the Tamarack Fire, has grown to nearly 39,045 after sparking July 4, according to information from InciWeb.

A lightning strike near the Alpine County, California, community of Markleeville started the fire, which has triggered mandatory evacuations for a number of campgrounds and neighborhoods and prompted road closures.

CNN’s Jackson Dill, Kay Jones, Chris Boyette, Stella Chan, Jason Hanna, Brisa Colon, Cheri Mossburg, Melissa Alonso, Andy Rose, and Kendall Lanier contributed to this report.