Canadian wildfire smoke blankets provinces and U.S. regions on July 16

Smoke from active Canadian wildfires spread across a wide swath of North America on July 16, 2026, reaching two provinces and multiple U.S. regions, according to NASA.

Ontario and Quebec both received the drifting plumes. The smoke then continued south and east, covering portions of the U.S. Midwest and pushing into the Northeast as well.

NASA said the fires generated large plumes that moved in an eastward direction. No specific fire locations or air quality figures were included in the agency's account.