Air Quality & Wildfire News — July 2, 2026

A dangerous stretch of fire weather in the Intermountain West is stretching crews thin, while the Northeast heads into a hot holiday weekend under air quality alerts. Here is where things stand today.

Colorado's Aspen Acres fire becomes the nation's top priority

The Aspen Acres fire in Pueblo and Custer counties nearly doubled in size on Wednesday to roughly 47,950 acres, making it Colorado's largest active wildfire and the number one firefighting priority in the country, according to incident commander Phil Daniels of the state's Division of Fire Prevention and Control. As FOX Weather reports, the fire has destroyed at least 180 structures and injured a firefighter, with zero containment.

Mandatory evacuations have expanded to cover the towns of Beulah, Rye, San Isabel and Wetmore, and officials say residents are not being allowed back into evacuated zones. The Denver Post describes families fleeing with only minutes to gather what they could. It is one of five major wildfires burning in Colorado, and the state has brought in firefighting resources from as far as Alaska and Tennessee. A dry winter left much of the Rockies with less than 25% of their average snowfall, setting the stage for the current threat.

Extreme heat brings air quality alerts to the Northeast

Much of the Northeast is under extreme heat warnings and air quality alerts heading into the July 4 weekend. In the Boston area, temperatures are pushing past 100 degrees with a heat index near 110, and NBC10 Boston reports an air quality alert from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection running through late Thursday. The air may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, including people with asthma, lung or heart disease, and older adults.

The New York City metro area, including Staten Island, is under a similar air quality alert Thursday alongside an extreme heat warning that runs through the weekend, according to the Staten Island Advance. On days like this, running errands early and taking it easy outdoors during the afternoon can help sensitive groups avoid the worst of both the heat and the haze.

Trump administration exempts Alabama plants from newer air pollution rules

Three Alabama industrial facilities with long histories of air pollution violations have been granted two-year exemptions from federal air pollution rules that were strengthened in 2024, AL.com reports. The exemptions were among six issued to Alabama facilities using a little-known provision of the Clean Air Act that lets a president grant relief on national security grounds when compliance technology is deemed unavailable.

Residents in north Birmingham neighborhoods near the plants told the outlet the smoky, hazy air already limits time they can spend outside. Hundreds of companies around the country applied for similar exemptions.

Wildfires burn in France and Greece amid European heat

Firefighters in the Aude region of southern France, near the Spanish border, were working to contain a wildfire on Thursday as the country dealt with the effects of a recent heatwave, Reuters reports. Local officials said high winds were making conditions difficult, and France's weather office warned another wave of extreme heat could arrive next week.

In Greece, authorities urged residents of two villages in the central Fthiotida region to evacuate Wednesday as more than 135 firefighters and 25 aircraft battled a wildfire, SFGATE reports. The evacuation came a day after a forest fire near Thessaloniki killed a father and his 12-year-old son. Several other fires that broke out across Greece on Wednesday were quickly contained.

Sources

Colorado wildfire doubles in size, now the 'number one' fire priority in the US — FOX Weather
Aspen Acres fire sends southern Colorado communities fleeing — The Denver Post
Weather: Extreme heat, air quality alerts as temps push 100+ — NBC10 Boston
Heat, storms threaten Staten Island July 4 weekend — Staten Island Advance
Clean air rules relaxed for 3 Alabama plants with violation history — AL.com
Firefighters battle wildfire in southern France — Reuters
Wildfires kill a father and son in Greece and prompt evacuations in 2 villages — SFGATE

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.