Lynx-Liberty game in New York City postponed due to heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires

NEW YORK — The WNBA game between the Lynx and the New York Liberty, scheduled for Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, was postponed.

The New York City area has major air quality issues following wildfires in Canada. The area was placed under an Air Quality Health Advisory — meaning everyone should stay indoors — until Thursday morning.

No reschedule date was set. The Lynx have a home game Friday against Indiana, where the team will celebrate the top 25 players in team history. The Liberty play in Atlanta on Friday.

The WNBA said the decision was made to "protect the health and safety of our fans, teams and community."

Major League Baseball postponed games in New York and Philadelphia as well. The New York Yankees' game against the Chicago White Sox was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Thursday, and the Philadelphia Phillies' game against the Detroit Tigers was reset for Thursday, originally a day off for both teams.

The National Weather Service warning said, "The New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects." In Philadelphia, the NWS issued a Code Red.

The Yankees and White Sox played through a lesser haze on Tuesday night.

At nearby Belmont Park, The New York Racing Association said training went on as planned ahead of Saturday's Belmont Stakes Triple Crown horse race.

The effects of hundreds of wildfires burning across Quebec all the way to western provinces could be felt on Wednesday as far as North Carolina to the south and Ohio to the west, blotting out skylines and irritating throats. Conditions were especially hazardous in parts of central New York, where the airborne soot was at hazardous levels.

This story included information from the Associated Press.