‘We’re in the crosshairs’: Wildfires and wind push Chicago region’s air quality to worst in the world, global pollution index shows

CHICAGO — At Promontory Park in Chicago's Hyde Park, normally a spot for picnickers and parkgoers to admire an impressive view of the city, a group of four wore masks and looked across Lake Michigan at a whitish and gray skyline.

Miranda Mireles, 23, who grew up in Chicago and went to school in Washington state, said the scene felt “eerie.” She said the poor air quality had given her a headache.

”We’ve never had to deal with forest fire smoke,” Mireles said. “I was familiar with it (in Washington), but not here.”