BBC Homepage Skip to content Accessibility Help Your account Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds More menu More menu Search BBC Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds Close menu BBC News Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images By Chris Fawkes , BBC Weather , Rachel Flynn and Nadine Yousif , Senior Canada reporter , Reporting from Toronto Published 16 July 2026, 13:09 BST Updated 1 hour ago More 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. In Canada, one fire in northern Ontario forced residents from local First Nations to evacuate, with one chief saying that her community has been "burnt to ashes". Figure caption, Watch: Orange haze from Canada wildfires seen in Ontario and northern US There are currently 858 fires actively burning in Canada, including 30 new fires on Thursday, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. The vast majority 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. 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", while in the New York City metro area the air quality is "unhealthy". New York has extended its heat emergency plans and activated its air quality emergency protocols - with hundreds of cooling centers and KN95 masks being made available citywide. How bad are Canadian and US wildfires, and what is the air quality risk? Published 4 hours ago 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. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Minneapolis is also under a smoky haze Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Air quality in Chicago has hit "hazardous" levels Air quality in the Midwestern city of Detroit is curren

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