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4d ago

Wildfire Smoke Triggers Air Quality Alerts in Canada and U.S.

Smoke from over 200 active prairie wildfires remains a health hazard across multiple Canadian provinces, as well as four U.S. states, even after recent weather changes cleared skies in Quebec and Ontario.

Man running along the FDR drive on the east side of the New York City borough of Manhattan.
© Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025; via Getty Images
A stock image of a woman coughing outside.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires can be seen partially obscuring the skyline of downtown Kansas City, Missouri on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

Overview

  • Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center reports more than 200 active wildfires nationwide, with many blazes in the Prairies still out of control.
  • Environment Canada forecasts a low-pressure system to bring rain to Manitoba and northwestern Ontario by Monday, offering temporary relief in heavily impacted regions.
  • Air quality alerts remain in place for Minnesota, New York, Maine and Vermont, with authorities advising sensitive groups to limit outdoor exertion.
  • Southern Ontario and Quebec lifted most haze warnings after winds shifted and precipitation moved through, but fresh smoke is expected to return by midweek as wind patterns reverse.
  • Health experts warn that wildfire smoke exposure poses serious risks for children, the elderly and those with heart or respiratory conditions, with research linking long-term inhalation to chronic and neurological diseases.