See pictures and videos of the Canadian wildfires and their impact across the planet

U.S. Caitlin O'Kane 30/06/2023

Wildfires in Canada have been raging for weeks with more than 500 fires burning in the country, the vast majority uncontrolled. The fires are sending smoke into the U.S. and as far as Europe. Here are videos and pictures of the Canadian wildfires and their impact.

Canada

Flames reach upwards along the edge of a wildfire as seen from a Canadian Forces helicopter surveying the area near Mistissini, Quebec, Canada June 12, 2023. CANADIAN FORCES via Reuters

Wildfires are burning in several Canadian provinces. In Quebec, the fires were sparked by lightning. The fires raging in Alberta have an unknown cause, but this province, as well as Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have been hit with bad droughts. This and record heat have contributed to the fires.

Wildfires in Canada throughout May and June have created a record level of emissions and many of the fires show little sign of slowing down, according to the European Union's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.

Firefighters patrol the Kimiwan Complex Fire SWF068 north of High Prairie, Alberta, Canada in an undated photograph. ALBERTA WILDFIRE via Reuters

As of June 29, there were 507 fires burning in the country, with 243 out of control, according to Canada's Interagency Forest Fire Center. More than 8.1 million hectares — over than 31,000 square miles — have burned. Most fires were in Quebec or British Columbia. 

A view of the city as the smoke from forest fires reaching to the center of Ottawa again with the effects of wind, in Canada on June 25, 2023. Kadri Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
An aerial view of buildings as smoke from northeastern Ontario and central western Quebec wildfires creates haze in Toronto, Ontario on June 28, 2023. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The wildfires have affected air quality in many cities — and not just in Canada, but also in the U.S. The cities closest to the source will have more intense levels of smoke and worse air quality, meteorologist Jen Carfagno and hurricane and storm specialist Greg Postel, both of The Weather Channel, told CBS News. 

Hundreds of active Canadian wildfires led to eerie orange skies over Ontario and a fiery sunrise in South Carolina

Hundreds of active Canadian wildfires led to eerie orange skies over Ontario and a fiery sunrise in South Carolina on Tuesday morning. Residents in the Northeastern U.S. reported similar scenes as the smoke continued to travel through the atmosphere. https://cbsn.ws/3oNUTbE

Posted by CBS News on Tuesday, June 6, 2023

The Midwest

Wildfire smoke clouds the skyline on June 28, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago area is under an air quality alert as smoke from Canadian wildfires has covered the city for a second straight day. / Getty Images

On Thursday, Detroit had the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, a company that tracks air quality around the world, with Chicago coming in eleventh-worst. 

The smoke from the wildfires to the north caused "very unhealthy" air quality conditions, according to the federal AirNow site, prompting officials to urge people not to go outside for long periods of time, especially those with sensitivities. 

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires obscures the St. Louis skyline as Keith Major runs sprints on the track at St. Louis University, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Major, a police officer in the city of St. Louis, is training for the World Police and Fire Games that is being held in Winnipeg, He said he was concerned about the air quality and compared training in the smoky air to training at high altitudes.  David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Both Detroit and Chicago were classified as having "unhealthy" air quality as of Thursday, according to AirNow, while Minneapolis had been downgraded from unhealthy to "moderate." 

Eastern U.S.

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Jack Suwinski (65) and right fielder Henry Davis (32) jog off the field in between innings as wildfire smoke from wildfires in Central Canada descends on the downtown skyline during an MLB game against the San Diego Padres on June 28, 2023 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Cities like Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh saw the effects of the wildfire smoke as it seeped across the U.S. Carfagno and Postel said Washington, D.C. was projected to be the East Coast city affected the most this week.

As of Thursday, Washington, D.C. had the second-worst air quality in the world behind only Detroit, per IQAir. 

Wildfire smoke casts a haze over the National Mall on June 29, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Washington DC region is under a "Code Red" air quality alert today due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Drew Angerer / Getty Images

As of Thursday night, New York City and Philadelphia were had "unhealthy" air quality according to AirNow, and both cities were under air quality alerts. 

The sun rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in New York City shrouded with smoke from wildfires in Canada on June 29, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. Gary Hershorn / Getty Images

Earlier in June, both cities were covered in a dusty haze as the smoke converged on them. The haze, which often makes the sky look bright orange during sunrise or sunset, lasted about a day.

The sky in Manhattan turned a hazy shade of orange as Canadian wildfires continue to cause poor air quality in the northeastern U.S

The sky in Manhattan turned a hazy shade of orange as Canadian wildfires continue to cause poor air quality in the northeastern U.S., posing a health danger to millions of people. https://cbsn.ws/43NiXdz

Posted by CBS News on Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Cities in northwestern New York, like Buffalo, had unhealthy air quality and residents saw a haze this week, but the National Weather Service forecasted that Buffalo would see conditions improve by Thursday night. 

Europe

On Monday, NASA said images from its Terra satellite showed smoke moving across the Atlantic to Europe, affecting Spain and Portugal and later spreading to other countries. Images from Spain showed the sky looking hazy from the smoke on Monday.

Satellite images taken June 26 show smoke from the Canadian wildfires making its way to Europe. NASA
The smoke cloud produced by the multiple wildfires ongoing in Quebec is seen over the city of Vigo, northwestern Spain on June 26, 2023.  MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images
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Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.

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