< anchor>
The skies over New York and Washington,
U.S., were covered with fine dust. Air quality warnings have also been issued and schools have canceled outdoor activities, as the country has been hit by simultaneous wildfires across Canada.

I'm a male correspondent in Washington.

<Reporter>
As if struck by
the yellow sand, a forest of buildings in New York City was trapped in a yellow haze.

Even though it's broad daylight, it looks as dark as sunset.

The skies in the capital, Washington, D.C., also turned gray.

Smoke has spread to the United States from 150 wildfires across Canada, including 250 in northern Canada in Quebec alone.

New York, Washington, D.C., Michigan, Virginia, and other major parts of the East and Midwest are in a similar situation.

[Dante Reyes/High School Student: I closed the window and brought my brother into the house. I had a headache when I came home from school.]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an advisory for the region's air quality index to be dangerous and harmful.

[Jack Caravan-Ross, clinical professor at New York University's School of Global Public Health: The air level we're seeing today is the same as in Delhi and Mumbai in India and Jakarta in Indonesia.]

The White House has stepped in to help, dispatching 600 firefighters and equipment to fight the Canadian wildfires.

[KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Check your neighbors and friends, check the health of your family, especially if you have health problems.]

As air quality deteriorated, people wearing masks reappeared on the streets after COVID-19, and many public schools in the affected areas closed outdoor activities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency predicts that the deterioration of air quality caused by wildfires will continue for several days to come.

(Video Interview: Oh Jeong-sik, Video Editing: Chae Cheol-ho)