More than 800 wildfires burn across Canada, air quality alerts expand across US
By BBC, July 16, 2026More than 800 wildfires are burning across Canada, with air quality alerts now extending south into multiple US states.
The air quality in large parts of the northern states of Michigan and Minnesota is deemed “hazardous” by the US Air Quality Index program, with people recommended to stay indoors.
Alerts span the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes region and into the northeast, the US national weather service (NOAA) said in an update on Thursday, July 16.
There are currently 857 fires actively burning in Canada, including 23 new fires on Thursday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
According to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, the vast majority of wildfires are burning out of control.
The large cluster of fires affecting northwestern areas of Ontario are responsible for sending thick plumes of smoke and poor air quality across Thunder Bay and Toronto, with lower concentrations of smoke high in the atmosphere drifting over the Great Lakes and above New York with hazy skies and redder sunrise and sunsets likely.
Impact of wildfire
The far-reaching impacts of wildfire smoke – and how to protect yourself.
In western regions of New York state, the air quality on Thursday is considered “very unhealthy”, the second highest ranking below “hazardous”, while in the New York City metro area, the air quality is “unhealthy”.
On Wednesday, New York extended its heat emergency plans and activated its air quality emergency protocols – with hundreds of cooling centers and KN95 masks being made available citywide.
In Ontario, there will be quite widespread thunderstorms over the next few days, but the rain may not be enough to make much of a difference.
Northwesterly winds will continue to blow the smoke into northern US states for the rest of this week and into the weekend, leading to concerns smoke will drift into New Jersey where Sunday’s World Cup final is due to take place.
A change in the wind direction by Monday means that the smoke will tend to be steered across Quebec with an improvement in air quality further south in the US.
The air quality in large parts of the northern states of Michigan and Minnesota is deemed “hazardous” by the US Air Quality Index program, with people recommended to stay indoors.
Alerts span the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes region and into the northeast, the US national weather service (NOAA) said in an update on Thursday.
There are currently 857 fires actively burning in Canada, including 23 new fires on Thursday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Pete Hoekstra, the US ambassador to Canada, struck a more diplomatic tone in a statement on Wednesday commending wildfire fighting efforts from both countries.
“This challenge knows no borders. The United States will continue to coordinate closely with Canada, just as we have for more than four decades of shared wildfire emergencies,” he said.