Скачать или смотреть Canadian wildfire smoke triggers 'hazardous' air quality alerts

Smoke from Canadian wildfires triggered air quality alerts in more than a dozen U.S. states Wednesday, with health officials warning people, especially those in

sensitive groups, such as children, the elderly or with respiratory conditions, to limit their time outdoors or stay inside.

In New York City, the U.S. Air Quality Index spike to "hazardous" levels, forcing many outdoor activities to be canceled and planes at area airports to be temporarily grounded due to low visibility.Yahoo News Canada reports that firefighters from the United States, France, South Africa and New Zealand will assist in battling the country's unprecedented wildfires.

According to the provincial fire protection service, 100 French firefighters are set to arrive in Quebec on Thursday afternoon. Another 119 firefighters and a major fire management team from the U.S. is set to arrive later this week. The province of New Brunswick, located just outside of Maine, is also sending a crew of 40 firefighters to Abitbi, located in western Quebec.