Canada's fires continue to spew smoke into the North American sky, reaching the outskirts of Europe, amid unsuccessful attempts to stop them so far.

Smoke from Canada's fires reaches Europe

American reports stated that air pollution resulting from the smoke of Canada’s fires exposes more than 100 million people to air quality alerts in 12 U.S. states, from Minnesota to New York, reaching Carolina.

Chicago recorded the worst air quality index among major cities worldwide early Thursday, according to IQAir.

Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Detroit, and New York were among the ten cities with the most polluted air in the world.

Authorities in Canada, which is witnessing the worst fire season ever, also issued air quality alerts in many provinces.

No end in sight

The National Weather Service explained that “with no end in sight for the Canadian wildfires, westerly to northwesterly winds are expected to continue blowing from south-central Canada to north-central and northeastern America, and poor air quality conditions are expected to persist.”

At the same time, NASA announced that smoke from the wildfires in northern Quebec has reached Europe. The U.S. space agency said satellite images issued Monday showed smoke extending across the North Atlantic to the Iberian Peninsula, France, and other parts of Western Europe.

There are 490 active fires across Canada, including 255 uncontrolled fires. The Quebec wildfire agency announced 110 active fires.

Canada, which is warming faster than the rest of the world due to its geographic location, has faced severe climatic phenomena in recent years that have increased in intensity and frequency due to climate change.