Canada Wildfire Smoke Map
See where wildfire smoke is right now across Canada — Environment Canada’s hourly smoke forecast layered over live air-quality readings and the active fires producing it. Find smoke near you, then protect your air.
The newest official data there is, pulled every few minutes as agencies publish · each flame marks where a fire was reported, not where its edge is right now
Loaded Aug 17, 5:54 PM EDT · source: Environment Canada smoke forecast (RAQDPS) + AirNow/OpenAQ monitors
Smoke layer shows the current hour of Environment Canada’s newest model run
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How to read the air on this map
Wildfire smoke’s main hazard is fine particulate (PM2.5). The map shows two kinds of stations: official ECCC AQHI stations (Canada’s 1–10+ scale, labeled in their popups) and continental monitors on the U.S. AQI scale (0–500), explained below. Both rank the same pollution — the official Canadian guidance for your area is your local AQHI forecast.
0–50 · Good
Air quality is satisfactory; little or no risk.
51–100 · Moderate
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged exertion.
101–150 · Unhealthy for sensitive groups
People with heart/lung disease, kids, and older adults should limit exertion.
151–200 · Unhealthy
Everyone may begin to feel effects; sensitive groups more seriously.
201–300 · Very unhealthy
Health alert — everyone may experience serious effects.
301+ · Hazardous
Emergency conditions; stay indoors with filtered air.
Official Canadian readings & health guidance: Environment Canada — Air Quality Health Index ↗ · FireSmoke.ca (BlueSky Canada forecast) ↗
How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke
Stay indoors and seal up
Close windows and doors, and run your AC or HVAC on recirculate so you’re not pulling smoke inside.
Run a HEPA air purifier
A true-HEPA purifier sized to the room dramatically cuts indoor fine particulate (PM2.5) — the part of smoke that harms lungs.
Make a DIY box-fan filter
A box fan with a MERV-13 furnace filter taped to the back is a cheap, effective backup when purifiers sell out during a smoke event.
Mask up outdoors with an N95
Cloth and surgical masks don’t stop PM2.5. A well-fitted N95 or P100 does. Limit time and exertion outside.
Watch sensitive groups
Kids, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with asthma, COPD, or heart disease should be most cautious — keep medications handy.
Related
Smoke map by province & territory
Live smoke forecast and air quality for every province — zoom in on your area for local readings.
Canada wildfire smoke map FAQ
How does the Canadian wildfire smoke map work?
The smoke layer is Environment and Climate Change Canada's air-quality forecast model (RAQDPS), showing where wildfire smoke is expected at ground level for the current hour. (The model itself forecasts out to 72 hours ahead; this map always shows the current hour of its newest run.) Underneath it are live air-quality monitor readings and every active fire Canadian agencies are tracking, so you can see the smoke, the air it's affecting, and the fires producing it on one map.
Why is there wildfire smoke where there are no fires near me?
Wildfire smoke travels with the wind at high altitude, often hundreds or thousands of kilometres from the fire that produced it. Smoke from boreal fires in northern Ontario or Québec regularly blankets southern cities — and in big seasons it crosses into the U.S. and even reaches Europe. That's why you can have hazy skies and poor air quality on a day with no local fire at all.
What is the AQHI, and why does this map show AQI numbers?
Canada's official air-quality scale is the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), a 1–10+ scale published by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The map shows both kinds of readings: official ECCC AQHI stations (labeled on Canada's 1–10+ scale in their popups) and monitors from a continental feed that reports on the U.S. AQI scale (0–500) — each labeled with its own scale. The two scales rank the same underlying pollution. For official Canadian health guidance, check your local AQHI forecast.
How often is the smoke forecast updated?
The smoke layer comes from Environment Canada's RAQDPS model, which runs twice a day with hourly forecast steps — the map always shows the current hour of the newest run. The air-quality monitor readings auto-update through the day (typically hourly per station), and the fire layer re-pulls from official feeds every few minutes.
Is this map a substitute for official warnings?
No. This map is for awareness. For official air-quality statements, special air quality advisories, and health guidance, follow Environment and Climate Change Canada and your provincial or local health authority. For evacuations and emergencies, follow local authorities and call 911.
FireRisk.ai is for awareness, not emergency guidance, and the health tips here are general information — not medical advice. If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, elderly, or caring for children, consult your doctor and follow Environment and Climate Change Canada’s AQHI guidance. For evacuations and emergencies, follow local authorities and call 911. Smoke forecast — Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada.