More than 800 Canadian wildfires burning as air quality alerts extend to US

More than 800 wildfires are burning across Canada, with air quality alerts now extending south into multiple US states. The air quality in large parts of the northern states of Michigan, Minneapolis and Minnesota is deemed "hazardous" by the US Air Quality Index program, with people recommended to stay indoors.Alerts span the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes region and into the US's Northeast, the US's national weather service (NOAA) said in an update on Thursday. There are currently 857 fires actively burning in Canada, including 23 new fires on Thursday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.According to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, the vast majority of wildfires are burning out of control.The large cluster of fires affecting western areas of Ontario are responsible for sending thick plumes of smoke and poor air quality across Thunder Bay and Toronto, with lower concentrations of smoke high in the atmosphere drifting over the Great Lakes and above New York with hazy skies and redder sunrise and sunsets likely.There will be quite widespread thunderstorms in Ontario over the next few days, but the rain may not be enough to make much of a difference.