Air quality levels in parts of the U.S. plunge as Canada wildfires rage

this is my first real experience with wildfire haze and i gotta tell ya, not a fan

i'm definitely pretty concerned that this might just be a thing a lot of the US and Canada have to learn to live with, and that it could offset a lot of the air quality gains that were won through environmental legislation and make things generally miserable again. it's already been the case this year that prolonged periods of going outside in, say, Edmonton was just not possible due to how bad the smoke was. it was also the case in a lot of California and the PNW during the coronavirus years.

Air quality was terrible all across Southern Ontario today. Hazy, smoky smell.

Been dealing with wildfire smoke for a few years now, mainly since the Eagle Creek Fire in the Gorge. We now have box fans with 20x20x1 smoke rated filters that we bring out if the smoke is blowing into our area. Lasko even sells a fan with a spot for those filters but you can use any box fan with some duct tape.

Lasko fan with filter compartment: Home Depot

For filters, basically anything rated (or higher) MPR 1900 or MERV 13. Over the last few years I've always kept a pack of 3 filters ready to go if the smoke shows up.

Best of luck with those dealing with the smoke, it is really annoying.

[Edit]

Purple air is usually a good source for getting an idea of the air quality in your area. https://map.purpleair.com/

Windy can given you an idea of when the smoke might be arriving or moving out of the area. https://www.windy.com/

Fire weather avalanche has a good summary of fire activity, but be sure to always check your state/province official map if there are fires nearby. https://www.fireweatheravalanche.org/