Wildfire Smoke Prompts Health Warnings
July 18, 2026by Tom Ramstack
WASHINGTON — Scorching temperatures are contributing to wildfires that are erupting faster than usual this year in the United States and Canada while also prompting health warnings about air pollution
In the United States, some of the worst wildfires are burning this week in Colorado, California, Minnesota and other parts of the Upper Midwest
They have burned through more than 3.6 million acres so far in 2026, including half a million acres so far this month, according to the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center. An advisory from the center said that “fire activity is already mirroring conditions normally not seen until later in the season.”
Environmentalists say global warming is making wildfires start earlier and last longer in many parts of the world
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Wildfires also are creating a blame game between the United States and Canada
Some American lawmakers say Canadian “inaction” is a factor in making air pollution in U.S. border and Eastern states the world’s worst this week
Some of them want to impose trade sanctions unless Canada acts more quickly to extinguish the flames and to reduce the hazards from underbrush that fuels the fires
Wind patterns are driving much of the Canadian smoke into the United States
Four Republican members of Congress from Michigan delivered a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week accusing him of failing to respond adequately to the fire hazards. The letter said that Canada’s “responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s airspace has not been met.”
Some parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan moved into the Code Maroon air quality rating Friday. It is the highest level of bad air quality, coming with a “hazardous” warning to residents
In New York, health officials say staying outside this week could be the equivalent of smoking seven cigarettes a day
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