Where are wildfires burning in Canada right now?

Air quality plummeted across large parts of the United States and Canada again at the end of June as hundreds of wildfires continue to rage out of control north of the border.

There are 499 fires burning throughout the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Fire Center on Thursday.

Some 230 fires are burning out-of-control and impacting provinces and territories from coast to coast. The blazes are impacting 10 provinces, two territories and national parks.

Canadian officials have warned that this could be the country’s worst wildfire season on record and smoke would be a problem “all summer”.

There have been 3,055 fires so far this year in Canada, destroying more than 30,000 square miles - an area twice the size of Switzerland.

The fires caused air quality to plummet across large parts of the US and Canada.

Air quality ranged from “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy” in the Midwest with Chicago ranking number one in worst air quality in the world on Tuesday.

By Friday, the smoke had shifted east with New York City registering “unhealthy” conditions, on the Air Quality Index.

So far, the smoke is yet to reach levels seen earlier this month when plumes darkened skies and made it difficult to breathe in at least 20 states and large parts of Canada.

On 7 June, New York City shot above 400 on the Air Quality Index (which runs from 0-500) – a “hazardous” level of pollution that bathed the city in an eerie orange haze. Public health officials advised all people to stay indoors and wear masks outside to limit their smoke inhalation.

The wildfires have been exacerbated by drought conditions across Canada. According to the Canada Drought Monitor, ten provinces have experienced abnormal dryness.

Rising global temperatures, due to emissions from burning fossil fuels, is fuelling larger and more frequent wildfires.

This article has been updated on Friday, 30 June