Growing wildfires in western US causing hazy skies on east coast

As fires in 13 western states enter their third week, their effects are being felt across the United States.

Wildfires in the Western United States, including one burning in Oregon that is currently the largest in the US, are creating hazy skies as far away as New York as the huge infernos spew smoke and ash as high as 10km (6 miles) into the air. In 13 western states, more than 80 large active wildfires have charred 1.3 million acres (526,000 hectares) of drought-parched vegetation in recent weeks, an area larger than the state of Delaware, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho. Several hundred additional fires have burned in western and central Canada, including 86 classified as out of control on Tuesday in the province of British Columbia alone, leading officials there to declare a state of emergency.