⚠️ Emergency Information: For evacuation orders, fire bans, and official safety instructions, contact your provincial or territorial emergency management authority. This tool is for public awareness only and does not replace official emergency communications.
Purpose
North America Wildfire & Air Quality Monitor displays wildfire activity, satellite hotspot detections, Canadian AQHI and U.S. EPA AQI station observations, and estimated fire perimeters across Canada and the United States. Data originate from authoritative government and scientific sources.
Data Classification — What the Labels Mean
- Agency Incident Report: A location reported by a provincial, territorial, or federal fire-management agency. A point identifies an incident but does not define its boundary size or shape.
- Satellite Detection: A thermal anomaly detected by a polar-orbiting satellite sensor. One detection pixel does not equal one fire, and hotspots do not represent the complete burned area or perimeter. Detections may be obscured by clouds or smoke.
- Estimated Perimeter: An area derived by combining and processing satellite hotspot observations. It approximates burned extent but is not an official operational fire perimeter. Accuracy depends on hotspot density, cloud cover, and processing timing.
- Observation: A measured value at a specific station and time. AQHI real-time observations are broadcast before final quality control is complete.
- Forecast / Model: A computer model prediction. Forecasts represent expected future conditions, not current measurements. Smoke forecast model outputs will change as weather conditions change.
- Historical Archive: Data from a past period, not current conditions.
Why Hotspots Are Not Fire Perimeters
Satellite instruments detect thermal radiation above a threshold. A single 375 m or 1 km pixel flagged as a hotspot tells us that something warm was detected in that area — it may be one fire, multiple fires, or an industrial thermal source. The actual fire boundary may be larger, smaller, or differently shaped. Fire perimeter estimates combine many hotspots over time to approximate the burned area, but they are still derived products with uncertainty.
AQHI Station Measurements & Neighbourhood Representation
AQHI stations are fixed points. Air quality between stations is not measured — it is influenced by local topography, wind direction, proximity to fires, and urban sources. A station 30 km from you may not accurately represent conditions in your neighbourhood, especially during smoke events.
Typical Data Delays
- NASA FIRMS VIIRS NRT hotspots: Typically 3–6 hours after satellite overpass
- CWFIS fire incidents: Updated as agencies report; timing varies by province
- AQHI observations: Near-real-time, typically within 1 hour; unverified at time of broadcast
- AQHI forecasts: Issued twice daily by MSC
- Fire perimeter estimates: Daily product; may lag active fire progression
Data Sources
| Source | Organization | Classification | Cadence |
|---|
| CWFIS Fire Incidents | Natural Resources Canada / Canadian Forest Service | Agency Incident Report | Varies (agency reporting) |
| CWFIS Hotspots / Perimeters | Natural Resources Canada / Canadian Forest Service | Satellite Detection / Estimated Perimeter | Daily |
| NASA FIRMS VIIRS | NASA LANCE | Satellite Detection | ~3–6 hrs (NRT) |
| AQHI Observations | ECCC / Meteorological Service of Canada | Observation (unverified RT) | Hourly |
| AQHI Forecasts | ECCC / Meteorological Service of Canada | Forecast / Model | Twice daily |
| U.S. AQI Observations | U.S. EPA — AirNow | Observation (preliminary) | Hourly |
| U.S. Fire Incidents | NIFC — WFIGS / IRWIN | Agency Incident Report | ~5 min |
| Basemap | OpenFreeMap / OpenStreetMap contributors | — | Weekly |
Attribution
Wildfire data: Natural Resources Canada CWFIS, NIFC WFIGS/IRWIN. Air quality: ECCC/MSC GeoMet (AQHI) and U.S. EPA AirNow (AQI). Basemap: © OpenFreeMap contributors, © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Limitations
- This tool is not an official emergency management product.
- Data may be delayed, incomplete, or temporarily unavailable.
- Mock data are shown in demonstration mode when live services are unavailable.
- AQHI guidance is general public information, not individualized medical advice.
- Smoke forecast layers require verification of MSC production endpoints before deployment.