See pictures and videos of Canadian wildfires and their impact

Wildfires in Canada have been raging for weeks and there are 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 in Quebec — 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 28, there are 500 fires burning in the country, with 256 out of control, and 8.1 million hectares — more than 31,000 square miles — have burned, according to Canada’s Interagency Forest Fire Center. Most were in Quebec or British Columbia.

Smoke from forest fires reaches Ottawa again — 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

Wildfire Smoke Blankets Toronto — 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.

The Midwest

Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blankets Midwest With Hazy Skies — 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 Tuesday, Midwestern cities like Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit had some of the worst air quality in the world. 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.

APTOPIX Canada Wildfires Air Quality — 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

By Thursday, Minneapolis had been downgraded to “moderate” air quality and Detroit and Chicago were “unhealthy,” according to AirNow.

Eastern U.S.

MLB: JUN 28 Padres at Pirates — 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 Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. saw the effects of the wildfire smoke Wednesday and Thursday as it seeped across the U.S. Both cities were issued air quality alerts. Carfagno and Postel said Washington, D.C. was projected to be the East Coast city affected the most this week.

As of Thursday morning, D.C. had the worst air quality in the world, followed by Chicago and Detroit, according to IQ Air. The company tracks air quality around the world.

Air Quality Deteriorates In Eastern U.S. As Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Moves Over Region Again — 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 morning, New York had “moderate” air quality and Philadelphia was labeled “unhealthy,” according to AirNow, and both cities were under air quality alerts.

Smoke Shrouds the Midtown Manhattan Skyline at Sunrise in New York City — 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.

Cities in northwestern New York, like Buffalo, had unhealthy air quality and saw the haze on Wednesday. While National Weather Service Buffalo forecast the area could get worse, it said Thursday the smoke was expected to thin throughout the afternoon.

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.