Last Wednesday, I woke up and opened the kitchen window in the morning, and I was shocked.

I could see the distant downtown buildings looking hazy. It looked like thick smoke, and when I checked my phone, I saw news that the smoke from the Canadian wildfires had reached Buffalo.

Having lived in Buffalo for a long time, I'm used to snowstorms, but it's bittersweet to think that now we have to worry about wildfire smoke every summer.

In the past, when there was a wildfire in Canada, I would think, "That's far away; what does it have to do with us?" But these days, just one change in wind direction can drastically alter the air quality across New York State.

This time, the large wildfire smoke from Canada and parts of the northern U.S. passed through the Great Lakes region and reached New York State, leading to air quality alerts in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and New York City. Experts warned that hundreds of millions in the Northeastern U.S. could be affected, and recommendations were made for both sensitive groups and the general public to reduce outdoor activities.

It's now common to see Buffalo residents pulling out their masks again. It's ironic that it's not because of COVID, but because of wildfire smoke.

People who used to enjoy morning walks are turning back, and noticeably fewer cyclists are out. Homes that used to keep their windows wide open are now tightly closed.

I often drive towards Niagara Falls on weekends, but on days like this, the scenery is hardly visible.

The sky turns yellow, and the sun looks like it's hiding behind a hazy veil.

Even when taking photos, the colors don't come out at all. Tourists say, "I thought it was foggy," but in reality, it's tiny smoke particles covering the sky.

The most concerning group is those with respiratory conditions. Asthma and COPD patients, as well as young children and the elderly, can experience severe coughing even after a short outing.

In fact, Canada is a very close neighbor to the people of Buffalo. Normally, many go shopping in Toronto across Niagara Falls or attend games.

But now, when there's a fire in Canada, the smoke crosses the border and arrives first. It makes you realize that while there are borders, there are no borders in the air.

When climate change is discussed in the news, it felt somewhat distant, but now I can feel it firsthand as I see the color of the sky outside my window change.