dpSmoke from Canadian wildfires disrupts Cleveland, postponing the Guardians game and challenging locals to balance outdoor plans with health warnings.
CLEVELAND — The air quality was unhealthy enough to postpone Friday night’s Guardians game, but not enough to keep hundreds of fans from heading into downtown Cleveland.
Canadian wildfire smoke blanketed the city for a second consecutive day, turning the sky orange and pushing the air quality index to levels considered very unhealthy. The Guardians and Pirates will try again Saturday with a split doubleheader.
The postponement left fans who had planned on nine innings looking for something else to do. Many ended up in the Gateway District, where bars along East Fourth Street filled Friday night.
The contrast between the smoky air and the downtown crowds underscored the challenge facing Cleveland as the region heads into the weekend: Officials are urging people to limit time outdoors while many residents are trying to salvage plans made before the smoke arrived.
“Any time it’s like that, the best advice is to stay inside,” said Dr. David Margolius, Cleveland Director of Public Health. “But it’s got to be inside and a place that has filtration, air conditioning, that’s the safest place for folks to be right now.”
Masks were common around downtown Cleveland on Friday. Colleen, a Progressive Field employee, said visibility deteriorated quickly as the smoke moved in.
“And then before, like, ten minutes before I clocked out, you couldn’t even see the other side of the ballpark,” she said.
Luke Hansen, a Guardians fan from Cleveland, said he planned to spend the evening at the ballpark but now looks to spend the rest of his weekend indoors.
“There’s great bars down here. Cleveland’s awesome. We’re just gonna see what happens there,” Hansen said.
For some fans, the postponement was more frustrating than the smoky conditions.
Carl Latimer drove from Pittsburgh to watch his team play. Pittsburgh has also been affected by the wildfire smoke.
“The air looked like this at noon. Why didn’t they cancel the game at noon?” Latimer said.
He later joked about the source of the haze.
“Is there any trees left in Canada?”
Jeff Burton traveled from Utah with an authored book documenting his quest to see a major league baseball game in every stadium and get a hot dog.
“So it’s [called] ‘Relish the moment,”‘ Burton said.
He will have to wait for his Cleveland baseball experience. The Guardians game and the hot dog were both postponed, leaving Burton hoping the smoke does not return for another day of baseball.
“Fingers crossed. Relish the moment. Let’s go,” he said.
But the air quality has had more serious consequences.
Cleveland Clinic said its urgent care centers and emergency rooms have seen a slight uptick in respiratory complications since the smoke moved into the region.
Health officials recommend people limit their time outdoors and stay inside with windows closed when air quality is poor.
“We advise folks to get inside, get into a place that all the windows can be closed,” Margolius said.
The Pirates and Guardians are scheduled to play a split doubleheader beginning at 1:10 p.m. Saturday.
