Air quality news
Air Quality & Wildfire News — August 15, 2026
Canairy · 5 min read · 2026-08-15
Europe is having a hard fire week, and it isn't over. Closer to home, one Canadian community is starting to return while the inland Northwest works through a long stretch of haze. Here's what was reported today.
Record heat keeps Europe's fires running
Firefighters across Europe were still working multiple fires Friday as another wave of record-breaking heat settled over the continent and left landscapes exceptionally dry, as Arkansas Online reports. France is having its driest year on record; a new fire moved through woodlands overnight in the Landes region on the southwest coast, forcing more than 500 people out of their homes in the town of Luglon.
The same report describes a large blaze in the English town of Stourbridge that destroyed roughly 20 to 30 homes. France has also shut down six nuclear reactors in recent days because of extreme heat and drought, along with a mass of jellyfish that washed up outside one plant; the utility says the shutdowns had minimal effect on electricity production.
Nearly 2,000 evacuated in western Germany
A wildfire in North Rhine-Westphalia pushed close to 2,000 residents out of their homes after flames spread through forests dried by a run of heat waves, as Europe Says reports. Authorities said shifting winds caused the fire to grow unpredictably overnight.
Crews there are also working around unexploded World War II munitions buried in the area. Officials warn that the dry conditions across parts of Germany raise the risk of more forest fires.
Tourists flee a fire on the Croatian coast
Czech tourists are heading home after a wildfire near Omiš, on Croatia's coast, sent hundreds fleeing through heavy smoke and blocked roads, according to a morning news brief from Europe Says. Some left with only essential belongings; others were taken out by boat once roads jammed.
Conditions have improved enough that some people have been allowed back for their belongings, though authorities are still warning about power outages and road closures. The Czech consulate in Split is staying open through the weekend to help.
British Columbia starts letting Clinton residents home
More than 400 people joined an online session Friday ahead of returning to Clinton, the surrounding electoral area and local First Nations, as Europe Says reports. As of 8 a.m. Saturday, several evacuation orders were downgraded to alerts and Highway 97 reopened to residents.
About 80 properties on the west flank of the Pear Lake wildfire remain under evacuation order. The fire is part of the Big Bar complex, estimated Friday at 157,448 hectares, and officials told residents to expect to still see smoke around Clinton and to be ready to be self-sufficient for several days.
New fire near Lapwai as two others wrap up
A fire along Webb Road, a few miles south of Lapwai in north Idaho, had burned about 67 acres by early Friday evening, the Lewiston Morning Tribune reports. Crews led by Nez Perce Tribal Forestry and Fire Management worked it with helicopters, airplanes, a hand crew and a bulldozer.
Two nearby fires are winding down. The 1,363-acre Alpowa Fire west of Clarkston was fully controlled as of Friday evening and its evacuation order has been dropped, and the 7-acre Mile Marker 50 Fire near Greer is contained with U.S. Highway 12 fully reopened.
The smokiest summer a fire scientist can remember here
University of Idaho wildland fire science professor Leda Kobziar said this summer has brought the most smoky days she's seen in the decade since she moved to the area, the Lewiston Morning Tribune reports. Fires across the Northwest have kept a steady haze over the Palouse and the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley for the past month, and agencies have issued air quality alerts.
Kobziar noted that people often skip the warnings because they feel fine stepping outside, while research links prolonged smoke exposure to a range of health effects that may not appear right away. A National Weather Service meteorologist said the air may start improving Friday evening as the smoke dissipates. On stretches like this one, it's worth checking the number rather than going by how the air looks.
Sources
- Europe continues to face wildfire surge — Arkansas Online
- Wildfire forces evacuations as Germany's heat wave persists — Europe Says
- Czech news in brief for August 15: Saturday's top morning headlines — Europe Says
- 'The environment has changed:' residents returning to Clinton area told to be prepared for wildfire damage — Europe Says
- Wildfire along Webb Road burns dozens of acres Friday — Lewiston Morning Tribune
- Hazy summer could lead to health issues — Lewiston Morning Tribune
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.