Dangerous wildfire smoke continues with air quality alerts in at least 17 states
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1:29 A helicopter and ferry boat go through the East River as New York City is blanketed in wildfire smoke in New York City, U.S., July 15, 2026. Angelina Katsanis/Reuters Air quality alerts are in place on Thursday across at least 17 states, from Minnesota to New Hampshire to Virginia, as dangerous smoke continues to waft into the U.S. from Canadian wildfires, including more than 100 blazes burning out of control.
Smoke from at least 850 active wildfires in Canada is traveling more than a thousand miles to reach U.S. locations including New York City. At least another nine large fires are burning in northern Minnesota.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the view of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City at sunset, July 15, 2026, as seen from Hoboken, New Jersey. Gary Hershorn/ABC News On Thursday morning, Detroit, Michigan, had the worst measured air quality in the world among major cities, according to the air quality monitoring website IQAir . Detroit reached an air quality index, or AQI, of nearly 570 as of early Thursday afternoon.
IQAir rates the most dangerous air quality index, described as "hazardous," as 301 or above.
Minneapolis, Chicago and Toronto, Ontario, ranked second, third and fourth on IQAir's AQI scale on Thursday afternoon for the worst air quality on the planet. Toronto is more than 1,100 miles from where 180 wildfires are burning in sparsely populated areas of Ontario province.
This map was provided by the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System and shows 858 active wildfires burning across Canada, July 16, 2026, most in the province of Ontario, including 113 wildfires that remain out of control Canadian Wildland Fire Information System Meanwhile, all of New York State, including New York City, and parts of New Jersey are under an Air Quality Advisory on Thursday due to the wildfire smoke.
New York City could see orange skies on Thursday, as dense plumes of hazardous smoke continues pour into the area.
An ABC News graphic shows the forecast for Thursday, July 16, 2026. ABC News According to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System , 858 active wildfires are burning on Thursday, including 29 new fires that ignited overnight. At least 109 of the wildfires were burning out of control Thursday afternoon, according to the agency.
So far this year, according to the agency, Canada has had 3,549 wildfires that have burned a total of 2.3 million hectares, or more than 93,000 square miles, which is roughly the size of the United Kingdom.
By Wednesday, the wildfire smoke cast a yellowish haze over New York City, leaving a strong stench of smoke in the air.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the view north to midtown Manhattan and the Chrysler Building, seen from the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building before sunset on July 15, 2026, in New York City. Gary Hershorn/ABC News In a social media post late Wednesday night, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned that "a combination of dangerous heat and unhealthy air" will continue to be a serious threat to the health of New Yorkers on Thursday.
"If you can, stay somewhere cool with air conditioning, limit your time outdoors, drink plenty of water, and check on your neighbors – especially older New Yorkers and anyone with a health condition," Mamdani said in the post.
The mayor said the city is providing free masks to help people cope with the smoke.
By Thursday noon, air quality was rated as "unhealthy" in New York City, with air quality in the Long Island and Lower Hudson Valley regions forecast to also become unhealthy before the end of the day, according to the air monitoring site AirNow .
Air quality in the Central and Western New York regions and the Eastern Lake Ontario region of New York state were rated as "very unhealthy," according to AirNow.
An ABC News graphic shows the forecast for Thursday, July 16, 2026. ABC News New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said smoke will be thick on Thursday and spread across the rest of the state throughout the day.
“Distant wildfires have impacted New York State in recent years, and this week unfortunately will be no different with expected hazy skies and poor air quality," Hochul said in a statement on Wednesday. "We are now closely tracking these conditions and I strongly encourage New Yorkers to stay informed and take appropriate precautions to stay safe. Sensitive groups should take particular caution."
By Friday morning, the smoke is expected to push farther south, affecting areas through Ohio and Virginia, including Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, throughout the day.
Air quality alerts are in place on Thursday across at least 17 states, from Minnesota to New Hampshire to Virginia, as dangerous smoke continues to waft into the U.S. from Canadian wildfires, including more than 100 blazes burning out of control.
Smoke from at least 850 active wildfires in Canada is traveling more than a thousand miles to reach U.S. locations including New York City. At least another nine large fires are burning in northern Minnesota.
On Thursday morning, Detroit, Michigan, had the worst measured air quality in the world among major cities, according to the air quality monitoring website IQAir . Detroit reached an air quality index, or AQI, of nearly 570 as of early Thursday afternoon.
IQAir rates the most dangerous air quality index, described as \"hazardous,\" as 301 or above.
Minneapolis, Chicago and Toronto, Ontario, ranked second, third and fourth on IQAir's AQI scale on Thursday afternoon for the worst air quality on the planet. Toronto is more than 1,100 miles from where 180 wildfires are burning in sparsely populated areas of Ontario province.
Meanwhile, all of New York State, including New York City, and parts of New Jersey are under an Air Quality Advisory on Thursday due to the wildfire smoke.
New York City could see orange skies on Thursday, as dense plumes of hazardous smoke continues pour into the area.
According…
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