
Thick, billowing clouds of smoke are sweeping south from wildfires ravaging the central Canadian province of Manitoba into parts of the United States, compromising air quality for millions of Americans across several northern states.
The Manitoba wildfires have forced 17,000 people to flee the province, according to Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who called the evacuation the largest in recent history.
"With the wildfires in northern Manitoba intensifying, our government has triggered a provincewide state of emergency to help us through this crisis," Kinew said in a statement on Wednesday.
The state of emergency will last 30 days and can be extended as needed.