Air quality alerts have been issued to 20 states.

*Updated on June 8, 2023, at 2:45 p.m. (MT):

Recent wildfires in Canada have taken over the East Coast, with the air filled with haze and smoke. From Missouri to Massachusetts, 20 states have issued air quality alerts due to the conditions.

Canada has seen 8.7 million acres of land burned due to the 400-plus fires currently ravaging the area. The wildfires have displaced more than 20,000 people and impacted more than 100 million U.S. citizens. Firefighters are struggling to keep them contained. The U.S. has even sent more than 600 firefighters to aid in the fight.

While previous reports indicated that it could take a while—we're talking anywhere from days to weeks—for the air quality to improve, AccuWeather has reported there are parts of the Northeast where things could improve throughout Thursday. (Finally, some good news!) But there may be some areas that won't improve until at least Friday. And when there's good news, there's also bad news: some of the most dense smoke may shift west toward Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit, AccuWeather said.

Flights across the coast have been delayed or paused entirely as a result of the smoke, said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday. Flights from the Northeast, Ohio, and the Mid-Atlantic bound for the Philadelphia International Airport and New York City's LaGuardia Airport are paused.

The FAA said, "We will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, DC, Philadelphia, and Charlotte."

"Widespread smoke from Canadian wildfires continue to bring hazardous air quality levels across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including major metro areas along the I-95 corridor," said the National Weather Service.

People are encouraged to stay indoors or wear a mask if needing to go outside.

One million N95 masks are being made available for New Yorkers, said Gov. Kathy Hochul—400,000 makes will be distributed at subway stations, state parks, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and Javits Center.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, local news outlets were reporting "the worst air quality of any major city in the world," with an Air Quality Index of 447.

*This is an ongoing story and will be updated as we learn more. Stay with Our Community Now for the latest!