"New York City engulfed in orange smoke reminiscent of 1966 'killer smog'"

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has blanketed New York City, evoking memories of the "killer smog" of 1966, when a heavy cloud of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide enveloped the city for three days. The toxic smog, stemming mostly from industrial residues and power plants using coal, prompted a citywide alert that ordered all incinerators to close and utility companies to use natural gas. The smoggy episode became a wake-up call, prompting activists and officials to push for policies that control air pollution, resulting in the passage of the Air Quality Act in 1967 and, in 1970, the Clean Air Act, as well as the founding of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.