Trump says he spoke with Canada PM and raises wildfire damages

Update

Trump said he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Cup final.

Trump called for possible damages over wildfire smoke reaching the northeastern United States.

Trump said the United States could help Canada but also suggested Canada might pay damages or face tariffs.

The wildfire smoke had threatened to disrupt Sunday's World Cup final.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 01:45:48 UTC.

Update

Trump threatened to add the cost of wildfire-smoke pollution to tariffs Canada is paying.

The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System reported 937 active fires in Canada as of Saturday, most burning out of control.

Canadian emergency management minister Eleanor Olszewski said Canada and the United States were in constant contact and that Canada has invested $12 billion in forest sustainability and fire prevention since 2020.

Detroit was listed by IQAir as the world's most polluted city on Friday, with Washington and Chicago also heavily affected.

Experts described possible smoke movement into the Northeast and health risks from fine wildfire particles.

Canadian authorities said fires were worsening in Ontario, with no casualties and several remote communities evacuated.

The US Forest Service said 16 active fires were burning in Superior National Forest and warned that erratic weather could challenge firefighting efforts.

Source note: AFP news report published on 18 July 2026 at 05:46:39 UTC.

Update

Dense wildfire smoke from Canada and northern Minnesota triggered unhealthy air-quality alerts across the United States on Friday.

Detroit was listed by IQAir as the world's most polluted city, with Washington and Chicago also badly affected.

The New York and New Jersey metro area had air that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups ahead of Sunday's World Cup final in an open stadium.

The National Weather Service warned smoke could thicken overnight into Saturday morning, though some improvement was forecast for the Northeast.

World Cup organizers were monitoring the situation, according to White House World Cup task force executive director Andrew Giuliani.

Experts described health risks from wildfire smoke particles and said smoke can become more toxic as it travels.

Parts of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin recorded hazardous air-quality readings for days.

Canadian authorities said more than 200 fires were burning out of control, especially in Ontario, with several remote communities evacuated and no casualties reported there.

Sixteen active fires were burning in Superior National Forest on Minnesota's border with Canada.

Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 20:14:56 UTC.

Update

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States was being affected by what he called filthy, polluted and unhealthy air from Canada.

Trump said he would call Canada's prime minister during the day to ask what Canada planned to do about it.

The report says wildfire smoke from Canada triggered air-quality alerts across much of the United States ahead of the World Cup final.

Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 19:41:50 UTC.

Update

Trump blamed Canada for smoke pollution from wildfires.

Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 19:33:09 UTC.

Update

Detroit and Chicago recorded hazardous air quality readings, with IQAir listing them as the world's most polluted cities.

Washington was in the second-highest, very unhealthy ranking on the air quality index.

New York and New Jersey had air that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups, after heavier smog on Thursday.

The National Weather Service warned smoke could thicken overnight into Saturday morning.

Meteorologist Peter Mullinax said Great Lakes winds could push more smoke into the Northeast, though forecasts expected some improvement.

Maryland air quality forecaster Joel Dreessen said Sunday's issue would depend on whether more smoke moves south after weekend storm systems.

People in several Midwest and Northeast cities wore masks, and New York libraries and train stations handed them out for free.

Parts of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin recorded hazardous air quality readings for days.

The National Weather Service extended its Chicago air quality alert through Friday and warned smoke may return Saturday evening and continue into Sunday.

Clean Wisconsin science program director Paul Mathewson linked repeated wildfire smoke episodes to climate change and clean energy policy.

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service scientist Mark Parrington said climate change is creating conditions for longer fire seasons through higher surface air temperatures and lower soil moisture.

Canadian government figures said nearly 2.8 million hectares had burned since the start of the year, up from nearly 1.6 million hectares as of the previous Friday.

The report said fires in Ontario had caused no casualties and several remote communities had been evacuated.

Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 16:48:07 UTC.

Update

World Cup organizers said they were monitoring the smoke situation closely ahead of the weekend final in New Jersey.

Andrew Giuliani said there had been discussion about the smoke and that someone from the National Weather Service was sitting in FIFA headquarters.

Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 15:14:50 UTC.

Update

Detroit and Chicago recorded air quality readings in the hazardous range, with IQAir listing them among the world's most polluted cities.

Washington was listed at the second-highest very unhealthy ranking, while New York and New Jersey had unhealthy air before the World Cup final near New York.

National Weather Service forecasters warned smoke could thicken again overnight into Saturday morning but did not expect Sunday air quality in the Northeast to be as bad as during the week.

New York libraries and train stations were handing out masks for free.

Canadian authorities said more than 200 fires were burning out of control, especially in Ontario.

Canada's burned area had risen to nearly 2.8 million hectares since the start of the year, up from nearly 1.6 million hectares the previous Friday.

Source note: AFP news report published on 17 July 2026 at 15:04:04 UTC.

Update

Manhattan's skyline was obscured by haze and Chicago closed its beaches.

IQAir listed Chicago and Detroit as the world's most polluted cities on Thursday evening, with New York close behind.

New York authorities warned that fine particulate matter was unhealthy for everyone in the metro area and Long Island, with worse air in central and western New York state.

New York City offered free masks at libraries and train stations and opened hundreds of cooling centers.

Chicago, Toledo and areas of Minnesota had air quality index readings in the 700s on Thursday afternoon, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency tracker.

A Major League Soccer match in Chicago was postponed, and municipalities across the region postponed outdoor events.

Michigan's environment agency expected dangerous conditions to continue through Friday and said smoke could linger and recirculate even if models showed improvement on Saturday.

Toronto was also facing dangerous air quality.

Canada reported more than 130 active fires in northwestern Ontario, at least 60 of them out of control.

Ontario authorities requested federal assistance, especially air support to evacuate remote communities.

Ontario provincial police said 15 communities and surrounding areas had been evacuated.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said more than 150 fire crews and nearly 50 firefighting aircraft were working to protect northern Ontario communities.

Canadian wildfires have burned at least 1.9 million hectares this year, compared with nearly 18 million hectares in Canada's 2023 record wildfire season.

Source note: AFP news report published on 16 July 2026 at 23:57:10 UTC.