Americans in several states in the Great Lakes and Northeast regions are facing unhealthy to hazardous air quality amid raging wildfires.

According to the Canadian government, there are more than 850 active wildfires across Canada as of Thursday. Winds are carrying the smoke southeast from Ontario down to the Midwest and Northeast.

Wildfires burning across Minnesota and into Canada are blanketing the region in dense smoke, triggering air quality alerts, dropping ash across a wide area and prompting assistance from the Wisconsin DNR.

Expect Orange (unhealthy for sensitive groups) air quality ratings on Wednesday, Red (unhealthy for everybody) air quality ratings on Thursday, and Orange air quality ratings again on Friday, according to the MPCA forecast.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state leaders moved Wednesday to extend a peacetime emergency amid raging wildfires in the northern part of the state and southern Canada.

Record-breaking wildfire smoke is blanketing Minnesota as fires rage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior National Forest. The air quality has reached “hazardous” levels across much of the state Thursday morning,

Officials say strong, dense smoke is still taking a toll on some firefighting efforts.

Minnesota wildfires forced Boundary Waters evacuations as smoke spread across the Midwest and Northeast, triggering air quality alerts.