Stay safe from heat and wildfire smoke this summer

(NC) It seems that every summer in Canada brings with it a fresh round of headlines about wildfires. As the climate shifts, forest fires are becoming more frequent and intense. This is due to longer dry periods that make lightning strikes more likely while making grass and trees more flammable.

The 2023 fire season was the worst wildfire season, with 15 million hectares burned across Canada. Communities in every province and territory experienced wildfires and many thousands of people were evacuated from their homes. Drought and extreme heat conditions in 2025 also led to a terrible season with about eight hectares burned from several larger fires, especially in Manitoba, Northern Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.  

While they’re an expected part of life in certain regions, wildfires bring serious health risks, especially when they occur with extreme heat events. Here are some important things to know: 

Wildfire smoke is dangerous, even far from the fire. The smoke from a wildfire can be carried on the wind thousands of kilometres away from the actual fire zone. It contains a number of potentially harmful substances, including fine particles—these are what pose the biggest health risk. There’s no known safe level of exposure to wildfire smoke, so it’s important to be aware and protect your health, even when levels are low. The air quality can be poor even if you can’t see or smell smoke.

Some people are at especially high risk. Wildfire smoke and extreme heat are dangerous for everyone, but some people can be at a higher risk. People more likely to experience health effects from extreme heat and wildfire smoke include older adults, infants and young children, pregnant people, those with an existing illness or chronic health condition and people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

It’s important to take extreme heat and wildfire smoke seriously. Here are some simple steps you can take to stay alert and responsive to changing heat and smoke conditions:

• Check local weather forecasts and air quality conditions regularly. Pay attention to heat alerts or air quality alerts issued for your community. This will help you know when and how to protect yourself from heat and wildfire smoke. 
• Make sure your indoor space is as cool and clean as possible: indoor temperatures can get dangerously high during an extreme heat event. 
• Close any curtains or blinds to limit sun exposure and make sure to stay hydrated. Open up your windows if the outdoor temperature is cooler, to cool your space. 
• Use the highest quality air filter that your ventilation system can handle, a certified portable air cleaner that can filter fine particles from the smoke, or both.    
• If you need more support during times of extreme heat and wildfire smoke, contact your local authorities. They can provide information on public spaces you can access with cool and clean air spaces. 

The risks of extreme heat and wildfire smoke are real, but by learning about them, how to avoid exposure and stay cool and hydrated, you can stay safer this wildfire season. Find out more at canada.ca/wildfiresmoke.