Canada is battling more than 700 active wildfires across the country, roughly two-thirds of which are burning out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC). Smoke billowing from the blazes has blanketed central Canada and the northern U.S., prompting widespread air quality alerts.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a new air quality alert for northeast Minnesota due to the wildfires burning in Canada.

Smoke from wildfires blazing across Canada is once again wafting over huge portions of the U.S. Midwest and worsening air quality there. On August 1 conditions are particularly bad in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.