Smoke from 900 Canadian wildfires covers 18 US states; Trump demands tariffs, World Cup final in doubt

Wildfires in Canada

Canada is grappling with nearly 900 active forest fires, with about 3,500 blazes recorded since the start of the year burning over 2.4 million hectares. Ontario alone had 191 fires on Saturday, with more than 150 crews working the front lines. Ontario Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris described the season as unprecedented, telling CNN the province is seeing fire activity "like never before." The National Interagency Fire Center and Canada's Ministry of Natural Resources attribute the outbreak to persistent heat and below-average rainfall; northern Ontario and Quebec recorded June precipitation 40% below normal while temperatures exceeded historical averages.

Smoke blankets the United States

Wind has carried a toxic cloud of smoke across at least 18 US states, triggering air quality alerts for more than 100 million people, nearly one-third of the American population. Chicago's mayor said the city is experiencing "the worst air quality in recorded history" and urged residents to stay indoors and wear N95 or KN95 masks outside. The dense haze forced cancellations of a Cleveland Guardians–Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game, the RowFest championships in Michigan, concerts, parades, street runs, and family events, while amusement parks Kennywood and Sandcastle in Pennsylvania closed. On Friday, the thickest smoke reached Washington, D.C., and an orange-brown pall hung over cities from Minneapolis to Virginia.

We are holding Canada accountable for not properly taking care of its forests and brush. As a result, the United States is being unnecessarily flooded with dirty, polluted and health-damaging air, the quality of which is dangerous and completely unacceptable!

Trump threatens tariff retaliation

President Trump took to Truth Social on Friday, accusing Canada of "deliberate neglect" in forest management and calling the annual smoke an event that costs the United States billions of dollars. He announced he would call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to demand action and declared that the costs of the pollution "must necessarily be added to the tariffs Canada currently pays." The post came as dense smog settled over the US capital and air quality warnings covered 18 states.

Neighbors help each other. Ontario has always helped American partners when they needed it. Let American politicians stop complaining about the smoke from Canadian forest fires and send help, just as Canada sends firefighters to the US.

Canadian officials push back

Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded on X, rejecting Trump's threats and urging the US to offer assistance rather than complaints. Prime Minister Carney had already addressed the issue on Thursday, responding to a letter from four Republican politicians from Michigan who warned the US would "act on its own" if Canada failed to control the fires. Carney called for American participation in the fight against climate change.

World Cup final under haze

Sunday's World Cup final in the New York metropolitan area has drawn attention to air quality conditions. CNN reported that the densest smoke should clear before the match, but thinner layers of pollution may still drift over the region. Meteorologists also warn that a cold front moving through the Northeast could bring violent storms, with over 50 million people under threat of damaging winds, hail, and possible tornadoes from Washington to New York. The front is expected to gradually improve air quality in the eastern US.