Canada: Smoke from Wildfires Spreads to the US, Endangering Millions

Threatening smoke from wildfires raging in Canada is spreading across the Midwest United States, posing significant health risks. The situation echoes memories of severe pollution that extended south from Canada two years ago during the country’s worst wildfire season on record. Airborne particulate pollution caused by the smoke is already moving into Minnesota and neighboring states, with projections indicating it will reach New York and other East Coast cities in the coming days, endangering tens of millions of residents. ‘Airborne particulates are the most serious environmental and health risk we know,’ said Dr. Doug Brugge, a public health researcher at the University of Connecticut Medical School. ‘They cause cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological damage, and these smoke clouds are at much higher levels than what we usually experience in the U.S.’ Wildfires have been devastating Canada since early May, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes and disrupting oil production. As of yesterday (June 2, 2025), over 200 fires were active, with 106 burning uncontrollably, according to the Canadian Forest Fire Center. Nearly 19 million acres have burned so far, primarily in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. One of the worst-hit areas in the U.S. regarding air quality today was Ely, Minnesota, near the Manitoba border. Hazardous air quality levels (336 on the air quality index) were recorded, according to IQAir, a global air quality monitoring website. Measurements below 50 are considered ‘good,’ while readings between 100-300 are deemed ‘unhealthy’ to ‘very unhealthy,’ and higher levels are classified as ‘hazardous.’ In Duluth, Minnesota, the air quality index reached 309 early this afternoon (June 3, 2025), while in Flin Flon, Manitoba, about 800 miles north where fires are raging, the index soared to 359. Children, the elderly, and individuals with chronic heart conditions, lung diseases, or other illnesses are the most vulnerable to the effects of smoke, according to researchers. ‘The risk of illness and death remains low for healthy young people,’ Dr. Brugge noted.