I don’t know the answer…but WOW to the photo!

Super creepy - the sky is completely smoked over and you can’t see the sun out the window but I can see it on my floor and window sill. Very weird.

So sorry you all are dealing with this--it's the worst! I don't know your model specifically, but the guidance where we live (where sadly this has become an almost annual issue) is that if the a/c has a damper to close to restrict outside air, you can close that and continue running it. If it does not, then it is drawing outdoor air in and should be turned off and either removed so the window can be closed, or covered/well sealed. I would check your manual for any reference to outdoor air to indicate whether or not there is a way to close off the intake and circulate only indoor air. If it's silent on this, it seems safe to assume it's drawing outdoor air. Caveat is that a/c units are just nice-to-haves where I live, and I know in NYC during heat waves they can be essential, so you may need to balance temperature with air quality if it's very hot right now.

Thanks @artemis78. The manual shows a damper but the actual unit does not have one. Sounds like I should presume there is no damper. I am going to cover it up with a plastic bag now. I think smoke is also coming in through my dryer vent, which is now running. This is getting worse by the minute.

Window units recirculate indoor air for cooling. They don't actively bring in outdoor air unless a fresh air ventilation function is engaged which has the circulation fan pull a bit of outside air into the recirculation mix. See Page 19 of the linked Owner's Manual.

However, they're rarely 100% air-tight against infiltration of outside air via passages in the barrier panel within the unit for wiring and refrigerant tubing between the room-side components (evaporator/cooling coil, circulation fan, control panel) and the outside components (compressor, condenser coil, fan motor). Depends how well the design has those passage sealed. Amount of infiltration varies depending on wind blowing against the unit and has no bearing on whether or not the unit is running.

Ugh, sorry you have to deal with this, Kendrah.😕

@Kendrah it's old school, but we sometimes use blankets and towels around leaky doors and windows (of which our old house has many) during fire season. It's not perfect but it does seem to help.

@dadoes Thanks for the scoop. I saw the info on page 19 but our unit doesn't actually have the lever on it for the outside air draw function. I taped plastic over the entire unit just in case it is not well sealed. I also put plastic over an air vent in our back bathroom through which smoke was pouring in. It smelled like a camp fire in there. Street lights are now on at 2:30 pm. So sorry all of you West Coasters who have long suffered through this. Thanks for your insights though. I'm cool with old school rolled towels to keep the air out too!