Fredericton, NB Live Wildfire Smoke Map
Get Alerts For Wildfires In Your Area
The moment a wildfire starts near you, you'll get an instant alert and simple tips to reduce your smoke exposure.
What's In The Smoke
30xSmaller than a human hair
Fine enough to reach deep into the lungs. A MERV 13 is built to capture it.
How Far It Travels
It Doesn't Stay Local
Smoke rides the wind far downwind — you can get smoky air with no fire nearby.
What To Do During A Smoke Event
Simple steps to reduce indoor exposure.
- Stay In, Close UpShut windows and doors to keep smoke out.
- Set Fan To "On"Keeps air cycling through your filter, not just when heating or cooling.
- Recirculate AirSwitch off fresh-air intake so you're not pulling smoke in.
- Run A MERV 13Built to capture the fine PM2.5 in smoke.
- Add A PurifierExtra filtration for the room you use most.
- Wear an N95 if OutsideFits snug to block fine particles — a cloth mask won't.
The Best Air Filter For Wildfire Smoke
During smoke events, the EPA recommends upgrading to a MERV 13 filter — or the highest-rated filter your system can handle — to help reduce the fine particles smoke brings indoors. MERV 13 is the level most home HVAC systems can run while still capturing PM2.5, the fine particulate that makes up the bulk of wildfire smoke.
- Captures PM2.5 particles
- Blocks ash, soot, and smoke odor
- Keeps your indoor air safe—even when the outdoor air is dangerous
- Meets the EPA's recommended rating for filtering fine wildfire smoke particles.
Wildfire Smoke FAQs
Facts About Wildfires
Over 70,000 wildfires burn in the U.S. every year.
Wildfire smoke can travel 1,000+ miles, affecting states that aren't even near the blaze.
Exposure to wildfire smoke can worsen asthma, trigger heart issues, and lead to ER visits.
Indoor air can hold more fine particles during wildfire events unless it's properly filtered.
The EPA advises using MERV 13 filters or portable HEPA air cleaners during wildfire smoke events.
Don't Wait Until The Smoke's Inside.
Use the live wildfire smoke tracker and upgrade your air filters today to protect your lungs and your home.
Shop Filters For Smoke Protection
Live Fredericton, NB Forest Wildfire & Smoke Map Today: Local Air Quality Tracking & Indoor Protection Solutions
TL;DR
Filterbuy's live map below tracks wildfires, smoke plumes, and air quality around Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick. For official status, check the province's wildfire dashboard and Fire Watch page. Once the AQI tops 100, switch to an EPA-recommended MERV 13 filter if you have an HVAC system, and run a HEPA air purifier in each room.
Key Takeaways
Fredericton's smoke rarely comes from one fire. It drifts in from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and CFB Gagetown.
Canada measures smoke with the AQHI, not the AQI. The Air Quality Health Index runs from 1 to 10+, and 7 or higher is high risk.
A quiet fire season is not clean air. New Brunswick burned only 482 hectares by mid-August 2026, yet Quebec smoke still triggered air warnings in the province's northwest.
Your HRV can pull smoke inside. New Brunswick public health has advised residents to turn air exchangers off once they smell or taste smoke.
Above an AQI of 100, filter in two layers. Run MERV 13 in your HVAC system and a HEPA air purifier in each room. Homes without ducts rely on the purifiers.
Live Fredericton Wildfire And Smoke Map Today
A fire on the map and smoke in your neighbourhood are separate questions. Because wildfire smoke can travel hundreds of kilometres, a fire in Quebec can blanket the Saint John River valley while a nearby fire blows its smoke away.
Conditions at publication: On October 8, 2026, the province's Fire Watch page showed no wildfire alerts, and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) rated Fredericton's AQHI a 3 (low risk).
Official sources to cross-check the map
Filterbuy's 60-Second Smoke Check For Fredericton
The Filterbuy team runs four checks:
Danger: Start with Fire Watch and the NB wildfire dashboard to look for evacuation alerts or burn bans.
Direction: Next, open FireSmoke Canada to see whether a plume is forecast over the Saint John River valley. The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System fills in fires outside the province.
Dose: Then check ECCC's AQHI forecasts for Fredericton today and tomorrow.
Decision: If you smell smoke, close the house up and switch off the HRV. Above an AQI of 100, add MERV 13 and a HEPA purifier in each room.
To report a wildfire in New Brunswick, call 911. For daily burning conditions, the province lists 1-866-458-8080.
Where Does Wildfire Smoke In Fredericton Come From?
Four sources reach the city, and the wind decides which one you notice.
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia fires. In 2025, the Old Field fire near Miramichi became the largest wildfire New Brunswick had seen in a decade, and with Nova Scotia's Long Lake fire, it fouled the air across the province.
Quebec fires. On July 3, 2026, Environment Canada issued air quality warnings for northwestern New Brunswick because of Quebec smoke, even as Fredericton stayed at low risk that day.
CFB Gagetown brush fires. Fires at CFB Gagetown, the military base southeast of the city, triggered a Fredericton-area air quality advisory in October 2017.
When Is Wildfire Season In Fredericton?
The season typically runs from April to October. After 10 straight months of below-normal precipitation, New Brunswick opened the 2026 season on April 8. The Telegraph-Journal reported early totals well above average.
Sources: NB wildfire dashboard via the Telegraph-Journal (May 6, 2026); Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre figures (Aug. 12, 2026).
What 2026 tells Fredericton households: by August 12, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre figures show 333 fires but only 482 hectares burned, yet Quebec smoke still triggered warnings in July.
How To Read Fredericton's Air Quality During Smoke Events
Fredericton's official air quality number is the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), ECCC's 1-to-10+ health risk scale. Many maps instead show the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), which runs from 0 to 500. Filterbuy's filtration trigger uses the AQI: above 100, the level the EPA calls unhealthy for sensitive groups. For official health advice, follow ECCC's AQHI and alerts.
*At-risk people include those with lung or heart disease, older adults, children, pregnant people, and outdoor workers (Environment and Climate Change Canada).
Smoke can affect your health even at low levels, because fine PM2.5 particles reach deep into the lungs. The Government of Canada's wildfire smoke and health page gathers every official forecast.
How To Protect Your Fredericton Home From Wildfire Smoke
Filterbuy's rule is simple: once the AQI tops 100, switch to an EPA-recommended MERV 13 filter if you have an HVAC system, and run a HEPA air purifier in each room. Health Canada's preparation guidance adds a step most people skip: keep spare filters on hand.
Many New Brunswick homes heat with baseboards or mini-splits, and many run a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) that pulls in outdoor air nonstop, so Filterbuy fit the plan below to your heating setup.
Short on purifiers? In U.S. EPA tests, a box fan with one 1-inch MERV 13 filter delivered 111 CFM, enough for about 110 square feet under AHAM's wildfire sizing rule, and a four-filter Corsi-Rosenthal box delivered 401 CFM, about 400 square feet. EPA backs DIY units only as a fallback. Filterbuy's wildfire smoke clean room guide covers both builds.
Choosing The Right Filter For Smoke
A MERV 13 filter catches far more fine smoke particles than the MERV 8 filters many homes use by default. Smoke loads filters quickly; Filterbuy's guide to changing your air filter during wildfire smoke shows what a spent one looks like.
For portable units, Health Canada recommends an AHAM-certified air cleaner with a tobacco smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the room's area. For wildfire smoke, AHAM suggests matching the full area, so a 120-square-foot room needs at least 80 and ideally 120. To decide where to spend first, see Filterbuy's comparison of portable air purifiers vs. HVAC filters for wildfire smoke.
GermGuardian owners can order Filterbuy.ca HEPA and carbon air purifier replacement filters, and Filterbuy's air purifier filter direction guide shows how they install.
What Filterbuy Sees Every Smoke Season
Filterbuy has manufactured HVAC filters in the U.S. for over a decade and shipped them to millions of households. Four lessons keep showing up in our order and testing data:
Orders spike after the smoke arrives. Demand climbs within hours of a fire starting and MERV 13 sizes sell out, so buy before April.
A clean MERV 13 is rarely the airflow problem. Filterbuy's lab measures a clean MERV 13 at 0.22 to 0.28 inches of water column, compared with 0.08 to 0.12 for MERV 8. An overdue filter is the real problem, though older systems still deserve a technician's check.
One filter will not last a season. Keep one installed and three spares per return grille, per our wildfire season preparation checklist. During active smoke, inspect weekly and replace a 1-inch filter every 2 to 4 weeks.
Measure the slot, not the old filter. Most exchanges Filterbuy processes trace back to this mistake; a "20x20" filter actually measures about 19.5 inches.
Shop MERV 13 filters for wildfire smoke protection or find your filter size. Filterbuy.ca also cuts custom sizes.
Fredericton Wildfire And Smoke FAQ
Is There A Forest Fire Near Fredericton Right Now?
Check Filterbuy's live map above, then confirm on the provincial wildfire dashboard, updated daily at 2 p.m. in fire season.
Is It Safe To Go Outside In Fredericton During Wildfire Smoke?
At an AQHI of 7 or higher, ECCC advises at-risk people to cut back on strenuous outdoor activity. A well-fitted N95 helps with particles but not gases.
What Should I Do When The AQIi Is Over 100?
Switch to an EPA-recommended MERV 13 filter if you have an HVAC system, set the fan to ON, and run a HEPA air purifier in each room. Close windows and turn off your HRV.
When Does Wildfire Season End In New Brunswick?
The Government of Canada says wildfire season typically runs from early April to October. New Brunswick officials said in 2025 that risk stays high until snow arrives in mid-to-late October.
Find more in Filterbuy's wildfire and smoke guides and health and wellness library.