Toronto Blue Jays fans were treated to a thrilling win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday evening amid a haze of wildfire smoke, but some were quick to call out the Rogers Centre for leaving the dome open and exposing the crowd to air quality described by Environment and Climate Change Canada as posing “significant threat to life or property.”
They’re opening the roof.
Given the air quality in Toronto because of forest fires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario and the special air quality statement in effect from Environment Canada, this ain’t good news.#Bluejays
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness) June 6, 2023
Several fans questioned the move to leave the Rogers Centre’s retractable roof open as the skies above were painted with a sickly orange glow due to out-of-control forest fires raging in Quebec.
@BlueJays why are you opening the dome today with air quality warnings in Toronto? pic.twitter.com/BYzYlHK3bN
— t a y l o r j a n e (@tayy_lorde) June 6, 2023
“Really disappointed that the roof is open tonight,” tweeted one fan, continuing, “Not that IAQ is good when it’s closed (because it’s really not) but it’s even worse tonight with it open.”
That air quality had several Jays fans reaching for their surgical and N95 masks for a nice throwback to the team’s return to Canada midway through the 2021 season.
With the air quality, I wish they’d keep it closed.
I guess I’m masking.
— Nathan Fitzgerald (@nat_fitz1) June 6, 2023
There was an apparent smell of smoke in the air during Tuesday evening’s home game, enough to inspire some creative comparisons.
So they’re hotboxing the dome with forest fires?
— Jonah Hammel (@JonahHammel) June 6, 2023
It was the fact that the stadium had the option to shut out the smokey skies with its once-innovative retractable roof that really had fans scratching their heads.
Ah good, the fans can enjoy the sweet smell of climate change.
— James, Viscount Rushmore (@HouseOfBlume) June 6, 2023
But as unpleasant as the baseball-viewing conditions were here in Toronto, things looked much worse over in the Big Apple, where the New York Yankees played a game shrouded in a thick layer of smoke from blazes raging north of the border.
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