Canada's Unprecedented Wildfires Prompt Evacuations and Air Quality Concerns.

Canada is battling hundreds of forest fires, with the eastern province of Quebec among the worst affected, prompting the evacuation of thousands and a blanket of smoky air wafting over U.S. cities. More than a dozen U.S. states were under air-quality alerts on Wednesday as smoke from the wildfires wafted south, casting a dull gray pallor over the skyline of New York and other big cities. An unusually early and intense start to wildfire season has set Canada on track for its worst-ever year of fire destruction as warm and dry conditions are expected to persist for months.