Watch: Residents flee massive Canadian wildfire by boat

Video footage shows members of the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation in Ontario flee their homes by boat, with heavy smoke and flames seen on the receding shoreline.

There are currently 857 fires actively burning in Canada, including 23 new fires on Thursday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, with the vast majority of wildfires burning out of control.

The large cluster of fires affecting western areas of Ontario are responsible for sending thick plumes of smoke and poor air quality across Thunder Bay and Toronto and into the US.

Read more about the large scale wildfires affecting Canada here.