(NEW YORK) -- Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing Canadian wildfires have engulfed the skies over most of the Northeast coast, prompting serious air quality alerts.

Thirteen states have issued those alerts as the thick fumes block the sky and send people indoors.

Canadian officials said firefighters are scrambling to put out the blazes in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active.

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jun 07, 8:14 PM EDT
New York City's 'smoke wave' response time for warnings criticized

As New York City was bombarded with dangerous air and smoke that turned the skyline orange, some residents and environmental experts questioned if the city's leader acted quickly enough to warn people about the dangers of the "smoke wave."

The city's Office of Emergency Management issued warnings on its social media pages and city alert system starting Tuesday afternoon and Mayor Eric Adams put out a news release about the dangerous air quality around 11:30 p.m.

Some environmentalists said the late notice was unacceptable given that the city's environment was already showing poor visibility and unhealthy air earlier in the morning.

Click here to learn more.

-ABC News' Ivan Pereira

Jun 07, 7:21 PM EDT
When to expect air quality to improve in the US amid Canadian wildfires

The wind conditions that are bringing plumes of smoke south are expected to last for several more days, experts say, as some fires in Canada continue to burn out of control.

The smoke is primarily from several wildfires burning in Quebec that is being blown south in a narrow band by an intense storm system around Nova Scotia that has not moved in several days, according to Mark Wysocki, an air pollution meteorologist who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

-ABC News' Meredith Deliso

Jun 07, 7:01 PM EDT
What to know about the Air Quality Index from wildfire smoke and how it affects human health

Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which are microscopic solid or liquid droplets -- often 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair -- that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems, according to the EPA.

PM2.5 is considered unhealthy for "Code Orange" and sensitive groups once the Air Quality Index surpasses 100, according to AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data. Once the AQI surpasses 150, it is considered "Code Red," unhealthy for some members of the general public who may experience health effects, with sensitive groups experiencing more severe effects.

-ABC News' Julia Jacobo

Jun 07, 6:44 PM EDT
NYC air quality deteriorates to new record level: Mayor

New York City Mayor Eric Adams updated residents on the current situation with the dangerous air quality due to the Canadian wildfires.

He said the city's Air Quality Index, or AQI, hit 484, the highest level on record, on Wednesday afternoon. Anything above 300 is considered hazardous, according to Zachary Iscol, the commissioner for the city's Office of Emergency Management.

"Tomorrow things may improve but an AQI over 150 is still considered dangerous," he told reporters.

Adams said all outdoor events in the city were canceled Thursday and urged private groups to do the same.

A person wears a face mask as smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets New York, June 7, 2023.
"The best thing is that [people] remain indoors," the mayor said.

He reiterated advisories to close windows and to wear a mask if anyone has to travel outside.

Schools were already planned to be closed Thursday, and no decision has been made about the rest of the week, according to the mayor.

Adams said the current forecast shows the situation should improve at the end of the week but warned that the situation can change.

"It is difficult to predict the movement of the smoke," he said.

Jun 07, 6:31 PM EDT
New York to distribute 1 million N95 masks Thursday, governor says

One million N95 masks will be made available for people at state sites in New York on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.

Officials will distribute 400,000 masks at MTA stations, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, state parks and the Javits Center, Hochul said.

Approximately 600,000 masks will be available from NYS Div. of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, the governor said.

Hochul has urged New Yorkers to stay inside due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires.

Jun 07, 4:35 PM EDT
MLB games postponed in NYC, Philadelphia

The MLB has postponed Wednesday night's games between the White Sox and the Yankees, set to take place in New York City, and between the Tigers and Phillies, set for Philadelphia.

The Phillies-Tigers game was moved to Thursday and the Yankees and White Sox will play a doubleheader on Thursday.

The WNBA said Wednesday night's game between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, which was to take place in New York City, has been postponed due to the air quality.

Jun 07, 4:13 PM EDT
The forecast

More smoke is expected in the Northeast for the next few days.

The thickest smoke will drift south Wednesday afternoon and is forecast to envelop Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Wednesday night and Thursday. These cities may see AQI levels reach the most severe “hazardous” level over the next 24 hours.

On Thursday afternoon, another round of smoke is expected to move over Lake Superior and into Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York.

-ABC News' Dan Amarante

Jun 07, 3:55 PM EDT
Why the poor air quality could cause a host of symptoms -- even in healthy people

Exposure to concentrated amounts of fine particulate matter can cause both short-term effects such as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; coughing, sneezing; and shortness of breath, and long-term effects such as worsening asthma and heart disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Fine particles are able to enter the body through the eyes and lungs. Not everyone feels the same symptoms, and the pollution can exacerbate existing health issues, such as asthma and allergies, Peter DeCarlo, associate professor of environmental health and engineering, told ABC News.

Click here to learn more.

-ABC News' Julia Jacobo

Jun 07, 2:55 PM EDT
New York City tops list of world's worst air quality rankings

New York City is topping the list of the world's worst air quality rankings by a landslide, according to IQ Air, which monitors air quality worldwide.

New York City reached 392 on the AQI Wednesday afternoon, which is in the worst category -- hazardous -- on the U.S. government’s air quality tracker. Wednesday shattered New York City's record for the highest AQI since records began in 1999.

Dubai and Delhi came in at No. 2 and No. 3 in the world with 168 and 164, respectively.

Jun 07, 3:34 PM EDT
New Jersey closes state offices early

New Jersey's state offices closed early Wednesday as the air conditions worsened, Gov. Phil Murphy announced.

The governor has urged residents to limit their time outside.

Jun 07, 2:11 PM EDT
NY issues another Air Quality Health Advisory for Thursday

New York state officials have issued another Air Quality Health Advisory for Thursday for the entire state with the exception of the Adirondacks.

Jun 07, 1:47 PM EDT
How to stay safe from wildfire smoke

The most effective way to protect yourself during wildfire emergencies is to stay indoors or limit time outdoors when there is smoke in the air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is especially important for those with heart or lung conditions who are at higher risk for adverse health effects.

If you can, try to avoid exercising outdoors until the air quality improves, especially those with underlying lung disease.

"People with asthma and people who already have lung disease or underlying lung problems, it can exacerbate that, it can irritate that. And if the air quality is bad enough, it can even cause some symptoms of feeling unwell and respiratory symptoms in people who are healthy," said Dr. Stephanie Widmer, a member of ABC News' Medical Unit.

Pregnant people should also try to avoid spending time outdoors, especially those who are further along, Widmer said.

You should wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth, fits tightly to your face and can filter out smoke or ash particles before you breathe them in, according to the CDC. N95 or P100 masks can help protect your lungs from smoke or ash.

-ABC News' Nadine El-Bawab and Youri Benadjaoud

Jun 07, 1:06 PM EDT
FAA slows NYC air traffic due to low visibility

Due to low visibility, the Federal Aviation Administration has slowed flight traffic in and out of New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport and New York City's LaGuardia Airport.

A ground stop is in effect at LaGuardia, meaning some flights are being held at their origin airport to ease congestion.

The average delay at Newark is about 84 minutes.

-ABC News' Sam Sweeney

Jun 07, 11:32 AM EDT
Worst air quality yet may be headed to NYC

The worst air in the U.S. Wednesday morning is in upstate New York from Syracuse to Binghamton, where the air quality has reached the worst level -- "hazardous."

That air will move toward New York City and Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Tuesday brought the worst air quality to New York City since the 1960s, officials said, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams calling it an "unprecedented event."

The mayor urged New Yorkers to avoid going outside if they can.

Adams warned Wednesday, "Air quality conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, but they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening."

-ABC News' Max Golembo

Jun 07, 10:19 AM EDT
Poor air quality will last into weekend for Toronto

In Toronto, the poor air quality will last into the weekend, officials warned Wednesday.

"Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour," officials said in a "Special Air Quality Statement." "Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations. Continue to take actions to protect your health and reduce exposure to smoke."

Jun 07, 9:32 AM EDT
NYC, DC public schools cancel all outdoor activities

Washington, D.C., public schools have canceled all outdoor activities, including athletic games, for Wednesday due to the poor air quality.

A "Code RED Air Quality Alert" has been issued for the nation's capital.

New York City public schools also canceled outdoor activities.

"We urge everyone to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors," NYC Public Schools tweeted.

Jun 07, 8:22 AM EDT
Long Island school district keeping students inside

In Port Washington, New York, on Long Island, the superintendent announced Wednesday that all students will stay inside during physical education and recess.

"This decision is aimed at minimizing exposure to the poor air quality and ensuring a safe learning environment for everyone," the superintendent said.

Jun 07, 6:37 AM EDT
Air quality alerts issued for 13 states

Most of New England and much of the East Coast were under air quality alerts on Wednesday, with smoke from Canadian wildfires expected to reach as far south as South Carolina.

A new dose of very thick smoke was expected to drift into New York City and Philadelphia by Wednesday afternoon, lasting into the evening.

That smoke is then expected to move south into Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

Conditions around New York City and in the I-95 corridor could improve Thursday evening, but get worse in western New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as the winds shift.

Jun 07, 12:49 AM EDT
NYC mayor says air quality expected to 'deteriorate further' Wednesday

The air quality in New York City worsened Tuesday evening and is expected to "deteriorate further" Wednesday afternoon and evening, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

"At this point, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for all five boroughs. While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening," Adams said.

“Currently, we are taking precautions out of an abundance of caution to protect New Yorkers’ health until we are able to get a better sense of future air quality reports," he said.

Adams said students should still go to school on Wednesday, but New York City public schools won't have outdoor activities.

"These recommendations may change based on updated air quality conditions that come in, but, in the meantime, we recommend all New Yorkers to take the precautions they see fit to protect their health," he added.

Jun 06, 10:09 PM EDT
Smoke from wildfires visible over Yankee Stadium

Smoke from wildfires from Canada was visible on Tuesday night over Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, as the Yankees played the White Sox, video obtained by ABC News shows.

Wildfires burning in Canada are continuing to create poor air quality conditions in parts of the U.S., with smoke clearly visible during Tuesday night’s Yankees-White Sox game in The Bronx. https://t.co/yhKArhnaNt pic.twitter.com/Np8mJyVKCa

— ABC News (@ABC) June 7, 2023

Jun 06, 10:01 PM EDT
New York City currently has the worst air quality in the world, data shows

New York City currently has the worst air quality than any other city on Earth, as smoke stemming from wildfires in Canada makes its way across the Northeast, according to the latest data from Swiss technology company IQAir.

The air quality index in NYC is at 196 as of Tuesday evening, followed by Doha, Qatar, and Delhi, India.

The next U.S. city on the list is Detroit, which currently places eighth, according to IQAir. Toronto, Canada, sat in ninth place as of Tuesday night.

Jun 06, 11:00 PM EDT
Who is at most risk from unhealthy air

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has specific guidance for vulnerable groups if the air quality in their area is deemed "unhealthy."

While the agency warns that all people will experience adverse side effects from exposure to the unhealthy air, it said those with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, children and the elderly are most sensitive.

Those groups should consider moving all of their activities indoors until the air quality alert is lifted, the EPA said.

Jun 06, 11:02 PM EDT
Northeast covered in haze as forecasters warn of more smoke to come

Millions of people in New York City and other locations in the Northeast scrambled to keep themselves free of the smoky air throughout the day and evening Tuesday.

The city's skyline was barely visible for most parts of the day, and the smell of the smoke was strong as commuters hit the evening rush.

Large cities with the lowest air quality include New York City; Albany, New York and Cincinnati, a map by Airnow, a website that publishes air quality data, shows.

Another large and dense plume of smoke will be moving down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, according to forecasters.

That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Canadian wildfires are impacting states as far south as Georgia, with New York City experiencing some of the worst air quality in the world.

The wind conditions that are bringing plumes of smoke south are expected to last for several more days, experts say, as some fires in Canada continue to burn out of control.

The smoke is primarily from several wildfires burning in Quebec that is being blown south in a narrow band by an intense storm system around Nova Scotia that has not moved in several days, according to Mark Wysocki, an air pollution meteorologist who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

"The smoke plumes from these fires, as they rise, they're all going to be concentrated to a very narrow kind of river, and they're going to be carried south right across us," Wysocki told ABC News. "The problem is there's no chance for the pollutants to disperse. They're just going to be held together in a high concentration."

"As long as you're underneath that plume, you're going to have the highest amount," he continued.

New York City on Wednesday shattered its record for the highest Air Quality Index since records began in 1999, as skies turned an eerie orange. The city approached 500 on the AQI Wednesday evening, which put it in the worst category -- hazardous -- on the U.S. government’s air quality tracker.

"We're in a very unusual situation here because we have substantial forest fires going on in eastern Canada, which is not as common as having those kinds of fires happening in the western part of North America where the climate is drier. So that is unusual by itself," Tony Broccoli, professor of atmospheric science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, told ABC News. "And we also have a particularly persistent weather pattern that's bringing the smoke from those fires south into the northeastern part of the United States."

"Both of those things are unusual individually; having them happen at the same time is very unusual," he continued.

Wysocki and Broccoli said the wind conditions bringing the smoke south are expected to change by the end of the week. As the intense storm over Nova Scotia gradually moves northeast, the winds will start to shift over parts of Ontario, where wildfires aren't as large, Wysocki said.

"That should improve our air quality down here, at least in the Northeast," he said.

Until then, officials as far south as Georgia are advising residents to be mindful of poor air quality conditions as the wildfires in Canada burn.

More than 400 wildfires are active across Canada currently, including nearly 240 that are considered out of control, Canadian officials said Wednesday.

Current projections show there will be "higher-than-normal" fire activity across Canada during the 2023 wildfire season due to warm temperatures and dry, drought conditions, according to Natural Resources of Canada.

"Our modeling shows that this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout the summer," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference earlier this week.

It's too early to predict whether wind conditions will lead to parts of the U.S. seeing a repeat of the current prolonged, poor air quality conditions during the fire season, Broccoli said. There could also be fast-moving storms that impact the air quality for just a few hours, Wysocki said.

However, smoke will continue to be a concern this summer from the Great Lakes area to the Northeast as wildfires burn in remote, hard-to-reach areas in Canada, according to Wysocki.

"It's not a really good situation that we are in for this summer," Wysocki said. "There's no end in sight for these [fires] to be put out."

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(RICHMOND, Va.) -- A father and son were killed and several others were hurt in a mass shooting following a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, police said.

The suspect, 19-year-old Ameri Ty-John Pollard, is in custody in connection with the shooting, which unfolded in a park on Tuesday after the Huguenot High School graduation ended in a nearby theater.

The suspect watched the graduation ceremony, after which it appears he went to his car to get a handgun and then returned, police said.

Killed in the shooting were Huguenot High School graduate Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Renzo Smith, 36.

Pollard and Jackson knew each other and had an "ongoing dispute," Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference Wednesday.

"This was targeted at one individual," Edwards said.

"I didn't know Shawn, but I shook his hand and wished him congratulations about 20 minutes before he died," Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said at Wednesday's news conference. "Those who did know Shawn described him as bubbly and the life of the party."

"Getting to the graduation stage was not easy for Shawn, nevertheless, he did it, and he was rightly proud, smiling and celebrating like all of his peers," Kamras said. "Then, just a few minutes later while enjoying the moment with his family in Monroe Park, he was gunned down. I can't shake the image of him receiving CPR on the ground, still in his graduation gown."

Five people were shot and survived: four adults and a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. One victim, a 31-year-old, is in the hospital in life-threatening condition while the other four suffered non-life-threatening injures, authorities said.

Several others suffered various injuries in connection to the shooting. Jackson's 9-year-old sister was hit by a car and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Two people were treated for falls and nine people were treated for anxiety and minor injuries at the scene, police said.

The shooting took place around 5:13 p.m. in Monroe Park, near Virginia Commonwealth University, officials said. The scene was near the Altria Theater, which was scheduled to host several graduation ceremonies for Richmond Public Schools on Tuesday.

Students in graduation gowns could be seen running away.

Jackson, who wanted to be a rapper, was "very, very excited" to graduate, his aunt, Datrell Glover, told ABC News through tears.

"I can't believe this happy moment was ruined like this," she said.

"The violence has to stop," she said.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney called the shooting a "selfish, senseless act."

"A child should be able to go to their graduation and walk up to graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and their families," Stoney told reporters.

Thomas Jefferson High School's graduation ceremony scheduled for Tuesday night was canceled and all Richmond Public Schools are closed Wednesday.

Pollard made his first appearance in court Wednesday where he was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and held without bail. He's due back in court on June 21.

ABC News' Lauren Minore and Laryssa Demkiw contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Wildfires burning in Canada have prompted hazardous air pollution conditions in the U.S. this week, as smoke moves South and lingers over much of the Northeast.

While wildfires in California and other western states have prompted air quality warnings in the past, seeing them on the other side of the country has prompted questions about how much of a role climate change is playing in the event.

Here's a breakdown of what we know about the connection between the wildfires in Canada and air quality.

Why is Canada's wildfire season so bad this year?

Canada has had an epic and especially early start to the wildfire season with more than 1400% of the normal amount of acres burned for this time of the year.

More than 8.7 million acres have burned in Canada in 2023, an area larger than the state of Vermont. In an average fire season for Canada, closer to 6.2 million acres will burn due to wildfires.

For about a month, the U.S. and Canada have been in a barely moving blocking pattern called an omega block — it has broken down a few times, but briefly.

This has allowed persistent heat for Central Canada and The Great Lakes — and short surges of record heat for eastern Canada around Montréal and Nova Scotia.

What's the connection between climate change and wildfires?

Wildfires are not caused by climate change, they are part of Earth's natural cycles and are increasingly started by humans either intentionally or accidentally.

According to the National Park Service 85% of wildfires in the United States are started by humans, sometimes these are intentional but most often by accident. Canada says about half of their fires this year have been started by humans.

However. the conditions that make wildfires more intense and severe, including heat and drought, are strongly linked to human-induced changes in the climate.

Canada's natural resources agency says climate change could potentially double the amount of area burned by the end of this century with potential economic consequences like lack of timber supply and changes in which tree species make up the majority of forests.

Damaged trees, dead trees, brush in the forests attributed to drought or invasive insects can also increase the amount of fuel for forest fires.

What do we know about climate change and air pollution?

The wildfires in Canada have prompted air quality alerts for the Northeastern U.S. and other parts of the country this week.

Climate change is expected to worsen air pollution conditions due to changes in rainfall and weather patterns that can increase the amount of pollutants like ozone or particulate matter like smoke that linger near the ground.

There is preliminary research that shows rising global temperatures can affect the jet stream’s flow making it weaker and therefore allowing air to sit stagnant for longer.

The jetstream exists, because there is a large difference in temperature between the poles and the equator. The jet is stronger in the northern hemisphere in winter because the temperature gradient is bigger. In summer, the jet is weaker.

Today, we see global temperatures rising overall, but the arctic and poles are warming 2-3 times faster than anywhere else. That means there is less temperature difference and scientists believe this may cause the jet to be weaker in all seasons.

The nonprofit organization Climate Central found that of 241 U.S. cities, 83% have seen an increase in the number of stagnant air days since 1973.

The Fourth National Climate Assessment published in 2018, found that more than 100 million people in the U.S. live in communities with air pollution above what’s considered healthy, and that climate change and more frequent, severe wildfires will make that air pollution worse.

However, steps to limit global warming like limiting greenhouse gas emissions can mitigate those impacts both by limiting future warming and releasing less pollutants into the air.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Wildfires burning in Canada continue to create poor air quality conditions in the U.S. as the smoke makes its way south.

Hazy skies, low visibility and poor air quality will be present in most of the Northeast and the Midwest and even as far south as the Carolinas.

Air quality alerts have been issued in 13 states, and the worst air quality in the U.S. on Wednesday was in New York from Syracuse to Binghamton.

Smoke plumes are now extending along the East Coast, with smoky skies lingering into the Ohio Valley.

Air quality is currently deemed "unhealthy" for millions of residents. With these ratings, all individuals, not just sensitive groups, should limit time spent outdoors.

A very dense area of smoke over upstate New York has swept down across New Jersey, New York City and southern New England.

Large cities with the lowest air quality on Wednesday include New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio, a map by AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data, showed. On Tuesday, New York City had the worst air quality rating in the world due to the smoke.

Another large and dense plume of smoke is making its way down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, delivering a one-two punch for cities like New York City and Philadelphia, which will worsen the air quality yet again -- perhaps even more dangerous than conditions were on Tuesday. That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest but extending the smoke further south, toward Atlanta and Huntsville, Alabama.

By Thursday evening, conditions will likely improve east of the I-95 corridor and around New York City but will worsen in western New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as the winds shift, forecasts show.

At-risk populations, such as young children, the elderly or those with lung and heart disease, should especially avoid the outdoors, according to the advisories.

A storm system approaching the East Coast this weekend will then shift winds to a more southerly direction, easing the effects of the wildfire smoke.

The smoke originated from wildfires in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active. Some of the fires in the region were ignited by lightning strikes, according to NASA. Unusually dry and warm weather has fueled the fires.

The intensity of the fires has exceeded the capacity of water bombers, Quebec's wildfire prevention agency announced on Monday, CTV reported.

Firefighters are currently unable to get the wildfires under control, François Legault, a member of the Canadian parliament serving Quebec, told reporters during a news conference on Monday. Firefighters in other provinces are unable to assist because they are battling their own fires but an additional 200 firefighters are traveling from France and the U.S., Legault said.

The number of wildfires in the country has grown past 400, officials said, and conditions are not forecast to improve in the coming days.

Northern U.S. states have been under the haze of the migrating smoke since early-season wildfires began to spark in mid-May.

Air quality alerts were issued for all of Montana and parts of Idaho, Colorado and Arizona due to wildfires in Western Canada.

Wildfires burning last week near Halifax, Nova Scotia, created hazardous air quality ratings in many of the regions affected by the wildfires currently burning in Quebec.

There is also an elevated fire danger from northern Michigan to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with red flag warnings in effect for some areas. If any fires spark, they could easily spread due to the very dry conditions and gusty winds. Lightning from isolated thunderstorms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey could be a source of new wildfire ignition.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(GLENDALE, Calif.) -- A California school district meeting where administrators voted to recognize Pride month, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, erupted into protests outside the venue involving several hundred people, according to the Glendale Police Department.

Protesters of the Glendale Unified School District policy to recognize Pride month were met by counterprotesters in support of the district's decision. Physical altercations broke out, according to footage captured by ABC affiliate KABC.

The district has celebrated Pride month in years past, but a recent rise in anti-LGBTQ+ political sentiment has led to growing tensions against the community.

According to the ABC affiliate KABC, the district said misinformation was spread on social media about the district’s effort to acknowledge LGBTQ+ identities.

“While most of the protest was peaceful, a small group of individuals engaged in behavior deemed unsafe and a risk to public safety,” the Glendale Police Department said in a statement.

At least three people were arrested for unlawful use of pepper spray and willfully obstructing officers in the course of their duties, police said. A dispersal order was given just after 6 p.m., according to officials.

Meeting attendees were told to shelter in place while police ordered the crowd to disperse.

Footage of the chaos captured by KABC showed protesters throwing punches and pushing one another.

The protests come just days after the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education also faced protests against its resolution to incorporate lessons and programs related to the LGBTQ+ community and history. Separately, a transgender teacher's Pride flag was burned by an intruder at the North Hollywood elementary school in late May.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(OCALA, Fla.) -- The family of Ajike Owens, 35, and their attorney Anthony D. Thomas held a news conference on Monday demanding an arrest be made for the shooting death of Owens, a Florida mother of four. The Owens family is also being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Owens was shot and killed last Friday in Ocala, Florida on the doorstep of the suspect's home, after she went to the suspect's residence to question the unidentified woman about an alleged dispute with Owens' children, according to police reports.

Susan Lorincz, 58, the neighbor, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, the sheriff's office said on Tuesday. She was also charged with culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.

“She knocked on Susan’s door, a closed, locked door,” Pamela Dias, Owens' mother, said at the news conference. “Door never opened. My daughter, grandchildren’s mother was shot and killed with her nine-year-old son standing next to her.”

Marion County sheriff Billy Woods held a press conference earlier on Monday. Woods said no arrests had been made yet because his department had to follow due process under Florida Stand Your Ground laws.

“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” Woods said. “I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in the hopes we could have never gotten to the point at which we are here today.”

In announcing the arrest on Tuesday, Woods' office said the investigation established that "Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law."

Woods said there was an ongoing feud between Owens and the suspect, and there was a heated confrontation between the two before the shooting.

The day of the shooting, the children were playing in a field on the property in which the suspect's home is located. The suspect allegedly yelled at the children to get off the field, according to Dias.

One of the children left a tablet on the property and went back to the suspect's home to retrieve it because the suspect allegedly took it into her possession, according to a police report.

Lorincz allegedly threw a pair of skates at the child and the minor notified Owens, resulting in Owens going to the suspect's home, according to Woods. Woods said more than one of Owens' children may have witnessed the shooting. The children have not been interviewed yet out of respect for the trauma of losing their mother, according to Woods.

“According to the one side, there was a lot of aggressiveness from both of them,” Woods said. “Whether it be banging on the doors, banging on the walls and threats being made. And then at that moment is then when Ms. Owens was shot through the door.”

According to police records, when officers arrived on the scene, they found Owens under a nearby tree with a gunshot wound in an undisclosed location on her body. She had a faint pulse as the officers applied medical aid. Owens was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased at 9:33 P.M on June 2.

The police transported Lorincz to the central operations bureau for an interview, according to police reports. Details of the interview were not disclosed. The suspect did not immediately return ABC News’ request for an interview or statement.

Woods said Florida Stand Your Ground laws make it harder to execute an immediate arrest.

“We have to rule out whether deadly force was justified or not before we can make an arrest,” Woods said. “And sometimes it makes it difficult and sometimes it becomes an obstacle, but only a temporary obstacle because it will be moved and the final answer will come forward.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Florida officials confirmed on Tuesday that they organized two flights carrying migrants from Texas to California in recent days.

It's the latest example of a controversial strategy under Gov. Ron DeSantis, who says he wants to spotlight what he calls the failures of southern border policies -- as migrant advocates say he is exploiting vulnerable people for political ends.

State officials in Florida insist they are helping safely send migrants where they want to go, not deceiving them.

Community leaders and officials in California say that 36 immigrants in total have been flown from Texas to Sacramento since Friday. Approximately 20 migrants arrived on a flight on Monday and another group of about 16 landed three days earlier.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT), a community group, gave an overview of what the migrants say they experienced when they were flown into the city.

The people were originally approached outside a migrant center in El Paso, Texas, by a group purporting to be part of an organization that could help them relocate, Sacramento ACT spokesperson Cecilia Flores said.

She said that all of the migrants who arrived in Sacramento are asylum seekers and are awaiting immigration court hearings. City officials are now helping to link the group with immigration lawyers to make sure they don’t miss their court dates.

The group is made up of people in their 20s and 30s, mostly from Colombia, Guatemala and Venezuela, Flores said. One dog -- named Geico -- also traveled with them.

Flores said the migrants were originally told they’d be provided with shelter, housing and job opportunities.

The migrants said they did not know they were getting on a plane to California, according to Flores. After both flights, the groups were dropped off outside the Diocese of Sacramento and were told by the people transporting them that they’d return -- but instead these people left and never came back.

The 16 migrants who arrived Friday did not know where they were and only had a backpack's worth of belongings, Diocese of Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto previously said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the California Attorney General’s office said that the private company Vertol Systems organized the flights. Vertol also coordinated flights for Florida transporting migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last year.

Representatives with Vertol could not be reached for comment for this story.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, community faith leaders in Sacramento said that while a “handful” of the migrants have since been picked up by family members, many in the group do not have any ties to the area and will likely be reuniting with their loved ones throughout the country. Some may choose to stay in the area, however.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) on Tuesday sharply challenged the details of how the migrants were flown from Texas to California. DeSantis' office did not respond to a request for comment.

FDEM shared a video with ABC News that they claim shows some of the migrants signing paperwork and volunteering to get on a flight.

ABC News could not independently verify where and when the images were taken.

In one part of the video a man is seen saying, in Spanish, “We made it to California. Thank God. Very thankful to God.”

Another part of the video appears to show a group dancing and celebrating inside a vehicle and a woman is seen asking the group if they feel like they were treated poorly, to which the group responds, “No.”

A spokesperson for FDEM insisted in a statement that "as you can see from this video, Florida's voluntary relocation is precisely that - voluntary. Through verbal and written consent, these volunteers indicated they wanted to go to California. A contractor was present and ensured they made it safely to a 3rd-party NGO [in Sacramento]."

However, on Tuesday, a spokesperson from Sacramento ACT said they believe the migrants were misled into getting on the flights.

Outcry from California leaders

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has raised the specter of kidnapping charges for the coordinators of the migrant flights and he singled out DeSantis by name.

In a social media post on Monday, Newsom called DeSantis a "small, pathetic man," adding, "This isn't Martha's Vineyard" alongside a photo of the state statute that explains kidnapping charges.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta likewise denounced how the migrants were transported.

"We are a nation built by immigrants and we must condemn the cruelty and hateful rhetoric of those, whether they are state leaders or private parties, who refuse to recognize humanity and who turn their backs on extending dignity and care to fellow human beings,” Bonta said in a statement this weekend.

State officials are evaluating potential civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of "these vulnerable immigrants," Bonta has said.

The California Department of Justice likewise is investigating the circumstances around the group’s travel and whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, Newsom has said.

In their statement on Tuesday, the FDEM spokesperson pushed back on such claims.

"From left-leaning mayors in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado, the relocation of those illegally crossing the United States border is not new. But suddenly, when Florida sends [migrants] to a sanctuary city, it's false imprisonment and kidnapping,” the FDEM spokesperson said.

That echoes what DeSantis has previously said about the migrant flights.

Last year, amid controversy over chartered planes sent to Martha's Vineyard, a tiny island community off the coast of Massachusetts, DeSantis said the choice to send migrants from Texas and not Florida was a way to prevent a large group of migrants from coming to his state.

"Florida gave them an opportunity to seek greener pastures in a sanctuary jurisdiction that offered greater resources for them, as we expected," his office said in a statement at the time.

The governor has maintained that many of the migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas plan to travel to Florida and that it is easier to meet them at the source.

Last year, DeSantis suggested complaints over the migrant flights were hypocritical compared with what happens to other people who try to enter the country.

"You've had migrants die in the Rio Grande -- you had 50 die in Texas in a trailer because they were being neglected," DeSantis said on Fox News in September. "Was there a freakout about that? No, there wasn't."

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HOUSTON) -- Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with a spate of robberies along a popular Houston bike trail, as police look for more suspects in the attacks, authorities said Tuesday.

Since May 16, five people have been robbed and assaulted and "held up at gunpoint" while riding along the Columbia Tap Bike Trail, according to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. In the most recent incident, which occurred on Memorial Day, a victim was shot in the leg, police said.

Police believe the incidents could have been committed by the same suspects, Turner said.

Two male juveniles, both 17, have since been charged with robbery and evading arrest, police announced Tuesday. A third suspect has been identified but not yet arrested, police said. It is unclear how many additional suspects are involved, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.

"We're laser-focused on getting everybody that's involved in these crimes, and any other crime in our city -- especially when it involves violence, especially when groups of individuals are terrorizing people," Finner said during a press briefing on Tuesday. "We will not tolerate it."

The Columbia Tap Bike Trail runs through Houston's Third Ward neighborhood. Police presence along the trail has been increased amid the attacks, which primarily have been committed in the late evening, authorities said.

Finner urged people to "be vigilant" and to ride in groups as detectives continue to investigate the cases. He said people can expect to find teams of both uniformed and plainclothes officers on the trail.

"We want to make sure that cyclists, those who are walking on these trails, those who are riding on these trails, that they feel safe in doing so," Turner told reporters Tuesday.

The city plans to continue to increase resources on the trail into the summer and is looking at adding more cameras to all trails, including the Columbia Tap Bike Trail, Turner said.

"By and large our trails are safe," Turner said. "I don't want two or three or four or five individuals who are just making bad decisions to stop the thousands of others from utilizing trails."

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- The chain of events set off by an unresponsive plane that eventually crashed Sunday in Virginia continues to raise questions about what happened on board and how the incident was handled.

Six fighter jets were scrambled on the afternoon of June 4 to try to intercept the private Cessna jet, originally on a flight from Tennessee to New York, as it encroached on restricted airspace around Washington D.C. The plane eventually went down in a mountainous area of Virginia, killing all four people on board.

But because the fighter jets weren't launched until long after the plane first went unresponsive, and after it turned around in New York without landing, it's unclear why NORAD waited to intercept the plane until it was about 20 miles northeast of the nation's capital.

White House spokesman John Kirby declined to tell ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce on Tuesday whether he thought it was okay for 90 minutes to lapse between the time the Cessna jet went dark to it being intercepted F-16s.

"[Department of Defense] will take a look at the process," Kirby said. Kirby added the response was done in "textbook fashion" but DOD will determine if anything should have been done differently.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun an investigation into exactly what happened.

Here's a timeline of the plane's path, and the military response that led to a sonic booms over the D.C. region and along the East Coast. All times are Eastern.

Flight takes off from Tennessee

At 1:13 p.m. the plane departed from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, according to the NTSB. Three passengers and the pilot were on board.

Shortly after take-off, at approximately 1:28 p.m., air traffic controllers lost contact with the jet and repeatedly called out to the plane but received no response, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Defense and homeland security officials were notified of the situation eight minutes after controllers lost contact with the plane, the agency said.

Air traffic controllers began warning pilots as early as 1:50 p.m. that an unresponsive plane was in the air.

Flight reaches Long Island, turns around

At approximately 2:30 p.m., the Cessna jet reached Long Island but did a 180-degree turn, changing its path to a southwestern trajectory as it flew over MacArthur Airport at a cruising altitude of 34,000 feet.

It's unclear why the plane didn't land at its intended destination.

Flight enters restricted airspace, fighter jets scramble

The exact timeline is unclear but around 3 p.m., the plane drew closer to restricted airspace over Washington, stoking increased alarm among officials.

It’s at this time that NORAD, or North American Aerospace Defense Command, scrambled six F-16 fighters from three different units and bases: two from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and the other four from Atlantic City, New Jersey, and McEntire, South Carolina.

Sonic boom heard by D.C.-area residents

Starting shortly after 3 p.m., residents across the Washington metro area began to circulate social media postings about what sounded like a loud explosion.

Door-camera footage from northern Virginia at 3:09 p.m. captured the noise of a sonic boom, which was later confirmed to be from the F-16’s that were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds to catch up to the unresponsive Cessna plane.

NORAD said that two F-16s launched from Atlantic City traveling at supersonic speed created the noise.

A U.S. official defense explained to ABC News that as the F-16 traveled the region at supersonic speeds for several minutes, people would have heard the sonic boom at different locations at different times.

F-16s intercept plane

At approximately 3:20 p.m., the plane was intercepted 20 miles northeast of Reagan National Airport, according to NORAD.

A defense official said two F-16s that had taken off from Joint Base Andrews deployed flares and flew around the aircraft to try to capture the pilot's attention but received no response.

A second U.S. official said the fighter jet pilots “visually confirmed that the Cessna pilot was unresponsive.” A U.S. official told ABC News that the pilot seemed to have passed out.

Experts said it was likely hypoxia, a condition that occurs when the body loses oxygen, that caused the pilot to become unresponsive.

The F-16’s continued to follow the unresponsive Cessna plane until its crash.

Plane crashes in Virginia

The NTSB said the plane began to descend at 3:23 p.m. and crashed at approximately 3:32 p.m. near the George Washington National Forest.

The flight tracking software following the plane’s path also reported it going down at 3:32 p.m.

The Virginia State Police said in a statement they were informed of the crash at 3:50 p.m.

According to state police, first responders were able to reach the crash site shortly before 8 p.m. No survivors were located.

ABC News' Lauren Minore and Davon Morales contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(BOWIE, Md.) -- Two people have been shot, one fatally, at a Maryland cemetery during the burial of a 10-year-old girl who fell victim to gun violence last month, according to police.

It appears Tuesday afternoon's shooting at Washington National Cemetery in Prince George's County, just outside of Washington, D.C., stemmed from a "dispute totally unrelated to what was going on with the funeral," Prince George's County police Maj. David Blazer said at a news conference.

A man, who died from his gunshot wounds, and a woman, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, were not directly connected to the funeral for 10-year-old Arianna Davis, Blazer said.

One person is in custody, Blazer said.

Davis was in the car with her family on Mother's Day when she was "accidentally hit in a barrage of gunfire," said Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police.

ABC News' Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Nicole Maines – a transgender actress who has starred in “Supergirl,” “Yellowjackets,” and more – never intended to become an activist.

But when she and her family won a groundbreaking case against her school district in 2014, arguing that the school could not deny her access to the girl’s bathroom because she was transgender, the role came naturally.

Years later, Maines would go on to make history again as the first live action transgender superhero on television as Dreamer in “Supergirl."

Maines spoke with ABC News in 2015, sharing the excitement she felt about preparing to undergo gender affirming surgery.

“I just knew in my head and in my heart that I was supposed to be a girl,” she said in the 2015 interview. “It was just the voice in my head telling me, ‘No, this is who you are, you need to be a girl.’”

Gender-affirming care can include puberty blockers, hormone medications and surgery.

“I had just graduated high school,” Maines, now 26, said in a recent interview, after watching the old footage of herself. “I was on my way to get my surgery that I'd been looking forward to my entire life, that I'd been talking about my entire life.”

Maines’ story is part of "The Freedom to Exist - A Soul of a Nation Presentation," airing June 6 on ABC.

As bills restricting transgender youth health care and trans bathroom bans pop up across the country, Maines says “there's so much work to be done…we all need to decide what kind of country that we want to live in.”

At least 18 states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah -- have passed laws or policies that restrict gender-affirming care for people under the age of legal adulthood.

In several of these states, adults, too, face restrictions and red-tape toward receiving such care.

Leading medical groups and pediatric experts say gender-affirming care improves the mental well-being of transgender youth, who are more likely to face mental health conditions due to discrimination and gender dysphoria – or not being able to express oneself in the gender they identify with.

Despite this, youth continue to face barriers to care.

The next generation of trans youth

Hobbes Chukumba, a junior in high school, came out as transgender to his father when he was 11 years old.

People would call Hobbes a “young boy,” a “brother,” a “son,” and it would never bother him – “It wasn't several years later until I realized it's because that's really how I identify. That's how I felt,” he said.

“I was so relieved to finally have this weight put off my chest because it had been something that I was harboring for... I don't know how long,” Hobbes told ABC News in an interview.

His father told him he loved him, gave him a hug, left the room and immediately went to search for answers. He had no frame of reference on how to support his son.

“For the next two years, I was doing all the research I could to figure out what it was that I was dealing with, and how to best help my child realize who he was, and how he could become his best self,” Hobbe's father, Stephen, told ABC News.

Hobbes said he knew he wanted to medically transition to feel more aligned with his body.

Stephen, Hobbes’ father, describes the process as “a whole battery of appointments and meetings and doctors and clinicians and psychiatrists.”

“For me, I felt really good,” he continued, “because I didn't want my son taking something, doing something to alter his body that he didn't understand, that I didn't understand.”

Hobbes said that when he began taking testosterone, he felt the change from within immediately.

“It felt like, on the first day, I was like, ‘Oh, look at me, I already have a huge mustache and awesome beard,’ even though, obviously, that wasn't true. But it was just the feeling, the thought, that one day I will.”

Hobbes was one of several trans youth organizers who helped to plan the Trans Youth Prom to celebrate trans youth and show people that "trans kids are kids."

"We're people, we can have fun, we can enjoy ourselves and we have pride to be who we are," he said.

Hobbes continued, “When I go on to college and into the rest of my life, I want people to look at me as I currently am, and not as I was. I don't want them to see me as Hobbes, who used to be whoever. I want them to just see me, and see Hobbes.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(SIOUX FALLS, S.D) -- A South Dakota law prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors is set to take effect next month, joining a growing list of states considering or enacting similar bans across the country.

Meanwhile, a concerned mother is grappling with how her transgender daughter will continue to receive transition-related care, telling ABC News they soon may have to travel up to 200 miles away to get her daughter’s puberty blockers prescribed in Minnesota.

“We’re just putting a pause on [puberty] until we get to a point where her therapist, her medical doctor and her parent all agree she’s mature enough to make a decision how she wants to progress,” said Carrie, whose daughter's name is Willow.

She added, “The most frustrating part of all of those laws for me is that, I’m her parent. I should be able to make decisions regarding my child’s health care.”

Willow began to socially transition in about fifth grade, but kids at her previous school would “deliberately misgender her or deliberately call her by her old name,” Carrie said. The mom and daughter now drive from rural Minnesota to nearby Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for work, school and medical care.

Carrie and Willow's story is part of "The Freedom to Exist - A Soul of a Nation Presentation," airing June 6 on ABC.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed HB 1080, known as the “Help Not Harm bill," into law in February. The law bans both surgical and non-surgical gender-affirming care for transgender youth, including hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers. Supporters of the law believe they are protecting children by prohibiting these treatments until adulthood.

Critics say such restrictions infringe on the rights of parents like Carrie to make health decisions on behalf of their children. They also point to research about the risks associated with disallowing transgender children experiencing gender dysphoria to access essential care.

“[Risks] include increased risk for depression and anxiety and, sadly, increased risks for feelings of self-harm, including suicidality,” Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told ABC News.

“If you’ve got a law in your state that says you are wrong for being who you know you are, that’s going to deeply impact your sense of self,” Hoffman continued.

At least 18 states have passed laws or policies that at least partially restrict gender-affirming care for minors. The laws in Alabama and Arkansas are temporarily blocked, as legal challenges make their way through the courts. At least 14 other states are considering similar laws.

And gender-affirming health care isn’t the only thing under threat, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The organization is tracking at least 491 anti-LGBTQ bills up for consideration in state legislatures across the country, involving issues like civil rights, free speech and expression.

“There is a lot of anxiety around the increased affirmation and visibility of LGBTQ experiences, and especially trans and nonbinary experiences,” said activist and author Raquel Willis.

Several trans activists told ABC News that a turning point came in 2015, when the Supreme Court struck down the remaining bans on marriage equality for same-sex couples.

“One of the things trans activists absolutely rightly pointed out is that while you might win on gay marriage, where is this huge infrastructure opposing it going to then park all of its energy? And since L-G-B-T — well the T is just sitting right there, they didn’t have to go very far,” said John Hopkins University professor Dr. Jules Gill-Peterson.

ACLU attorney Chase Strangio speculates the anti-trans legislation moving through state legislatures nationwide stems from "an ideological goal of eradicating trans people."

For Willow’s mom, it’s a frightening — and all too real — possibility.

“Passing of these laws, things that are said about the trans community will make them feel even more like they don’t belong, that their existence doesn’t matter. It’s not going to stop there. And that’s what scares me I think the most,” Carrie said.

ABC News' Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Wildfires burning in Canada are continuing to create poor air quality conditions in the U.S. as the smoke makes its way south.

Hazy skies, low visibility and poor air quality will be present in most of the Northeast and the Midwest and even as far south as the Carolinas.

Air quality alerts have been issued in 17 states and in cities such as Baltimore, Boston, Minneapolis, Raleigh and St. Louis.

Smoke plumes are now extending along the East Coast with smoky skies lingering into the Ohio Valley.

Air quality is currently deemed "unhealthy" for millions of residents. With these ratings, all individuals, not just sensitive groups, should limit times outdoors.

A very dense area of smoke over upstate New York will soon sweep down across Northern New Jersey, New York City and southern New England.

Large cities with the lowest air quality include New York City, Albany and Cincinnati, a map by AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data, shows.

Another large and dense plume of smoke will be moving down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, delivering a one-two punch for some cities. That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest.

At-risk populations, such as young children, the elderly or those with lung and heart disease, should especially avoid the outdoors, according to the advisories.

The smoke originated from wildfires in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active. Some of the fires in the region were ignited by lightning strikes, according to NASA. Unusually dry and warm weather has fueled the fires.

The intensity of the fires has exceeded the capacity of water bombers, Quebec's wildfire prevention agency announced on Monday, CTV reported.

Firefighters are currently unable to get the wildfires under control, François Legault, a member of the Canadian parliament serving Quebec, told reporters during a news conference on Monday. Firefighters in other provinces are unable to assist because they are battling their own fires but an additional 200 firefighters are traveling from France and the U.S., Legault said.

The number of wildfires in the country has grown past 400, officials said, and conditions are not forecast to improve in the coming days.

Northern U.S. states have been under the haze of the migrating smoke since early-season wildfires began to spark in mid-May.

The bulk of the smoke impacting the Northeast Tuesday is coming down from Quebec.

Air quality alerts were issued for all of Montana and parts of Idaho, Colorado and Arizona due to wildfires in Western Canada.

Wildfires burning last week near Halifax, Nova Scotia, created hazardous air quality ratings in many of the regions affected by the wildfires currently burning in Quebec.

There is also an elevated fire danger from northern Michigan to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with red flag warnings in effect for some areas. If any fires spark, they could easily spread due the very dry conditions and gusty winds. Lightning from isolated thunderstorms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey could be a source of new wildfire ignition.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- Seventy-nine years ago, on June 6, 1944, more than 156,000 Allied troops invaded Normandy, France, on D-Day.

"It was one of the most momentous events of the last century," April Cheek-Messier, president and CEO of the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, told ABC News. "The men and women of D-Day and World War II literally saved the world. They saved the world for the next generation."

As nations reflect on Operation Overlord, the mission that changed the course of history and liberated Europe from Hitler's Germany, America also faces down another fact: The number of WWII veterans, especially those who participated in D-Day, is dwindling.

Experts say those WWII veterans who are no longer with us would want their stories passed on, and it's critical to honor their legacies and preserve history by doing so.

"We need to educate [people] on the stories we do know and pass them on. They devoted their lives to that," military historian, author and professor John C. McManus told ABC News, echoing something he said during a D-Day commemoration last year: "The reality is, once that generation is gone, which it almost entirely is, it's incumbent on historians to carry on that legacy."

The Normandy landings represent something "monumental," he said, and it's hard to imagine anything more important than telling WWII veterans' stories.

The National D-Day Memorial Foundation was originally about paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice on June 6, 1944, and the tens of thousands who died in the weeks that followed, Cheek-Messier said.

It also communicated to veterans that "we know what you did, why your story is important, why we need to pass it on," she said. "We wanted to make sure we paid tribute to those veterans. Their stories had not really been told."

In addition to maintaining the monument, which is more than 20 years old and located in Bedford, Virginia, the foundation also undertakes the difficult research of confirming the names of those who died on D-Day.

When the foundation was formed, there was no list, database or roster that existed, Cheek-Messier said. Now, the foundation maintains the most complete name-by-name listing in the world of Allied service members who died on June 6, 1944.

According to the foundation's necrology database, 4,415 men died that day, including 2,502 Americans.

"Remembrance is key. It's central to any lasting memorial," Cheek-Messier said. "Education is central to remembrance."

She said veterans have a desire for their stories and memories to be passed on to future generations: "Many of them came home. Many of their friends did not."

As the foundation looks toward the 80th commemoration of D-Day next year, the research and education continue.

"How are we as a nation now remembering? How are we passing on their stories?" Cheek-Messier said.

The foundation expects to be able to add some new names to its wall at the Bedford memorial in 2024, she noted, so those individuals can also be recognized.

"Now that we're nearing the 80th anniversary, we realize most are no longer with us," she said. "We can't hear these stories firsthand. We have to make sure we're able to tell their stories. Not just us at the memorial, but all of us as American citizens."

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.