MEXICO CITY (AP) —
"Mexico's education ministry cancelled schools in the capital and surrounding areas for Thursday due to a siege of air pollution.
Weather conditions at the end of Mexico's dry season combined with dozens of brushfires burning in and around the city have produced a blanket of smoky haze.
The federal Environment Department said Wednesday that 3,800 firefighters are combatting an average of about 100 fires a day in brush, scrub, agricultural and forest land throughout the country.
Fire risk is highest in the spring for much of Mexico because the summer rainy season has not yet started.
Officials have warned that it could be harmful to at-risk people, especially due to high levels of tiny particles in the air.
It triggered a pollution alert this week in Mexico City.
City environmental officials announced the closure Thursday of a park and zoo on the south side of the city as well as children's playgrounds in the sprawling Chapultepec Park.
The conditions also led to the postponement of professional soccer and baseball games in Mexico City this week as well as the imposition of driving limits due to high ozone levels."