Drummondville, QC 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 Drummondville, QC Forest Wildfire & Smoke Map Today: Local Air Quality Tracking & Indoor Protection Solutions
TL;DR
The live map above tracks active forest fires and smoke plumes near Drummondville, Québec. The Filterbuy team reads it alongside Québec's hourly air quality index (IQA). Once the IQA reads "mauvais" (51 or higher), or a U.S.-style AQI in your weather app goes over 100, follow public health advice and close the house up. Then, if you have an HVAC system, switch to MERV 13 with the fan on, and run HEPA air purifiers in each room. MERV 13 is the filter rating the EPA recommends for smoke.
Key Takeaways
Québec rates air quality as good (1–25), acceptable (26–50) or poor (51 and above). Filterbuy's action line is IQA 51, or over 100 on the U.S. AQI.
In 2023, a record 4.3 million hectares burned in Québec, and even Drummondville logged three to four days above the provincial fine-particle standard.
About two-thirds of Québec households heat with electric baseboards or radiant heat. In those homes, HEPA air purifiers in each room are the main defence against smoke.
How Do I Check The Live Wildfire And Smoke Map For Drummondville Today?
The map above shows active forest fires as points and smoke plumes as shaded areas. Fire locations come from Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), and the smoke layer comes from satellite analysis. A plume on a satellite image can sit high above the city, though, so confirm what you are breathing with a ground-level reading.
The Filterbuy team's daily check takes roughly two minutes:
Scan the live map for fire points and smoke over Centre-du-Québec and upwind regions, usually Abitibi, Nord-du-Québec, northern Ontario and the Prairies.
Check the hourly IQA for the Drummondville – Stade Jacques-Desautels station on Québec's Air Quality Index map.
Look ahead with the smoke forecast on FireSmoke Canada (April to October).
Check fire danger and bans with SOPFEU, Québec's forest fire agency, on its Centre-du-Québec situation page before you burn anything outdoors.
Look again in the afternoon, since the wind can change things within hours. The alert sign-up below the map can watch for you.
Is There A Forest Fire Near Drummondville, Qc Right Now?
Large forest fires near Drummondville are rare, so check the live map above for today's fire points. The city sits inside SOPFEU's intensive protection zone, where crews fight every forest fire. Smoke from northern Québec, Ontario or Western Canada reaches the city more often.
Autumn can still bring fires. SOPFEU's season reports show a dry autumn in 2025 brought 143 forest fires in October, against an average of 16. That risk arrives just as Drummondville furnaces start up for winter, so we treat the first autumn filter change as smoke prep too.
What Happened To Drummondville's Air During The 2023 Wildfires?
SOPFEU reports that 4.3 million hectares burned in Québec that year, mostly far from any city, yet Québec's environment ministry found that smoke degraded air quality across the province.
Drummondville felt it too. Between 1 June and 31 August 2023, the Drummondville – Stade Jacques-Desautels station recorded three to four days above Québec's daily standard for PM2.5, the fine particles in smoke, of 30 µg/m³.
What Should I Do At Each IQA Level In Drummondville?
Québec reports air quality as an IQA (indice de la qualité de l'air) rather than the U.S. AQI. When we worked through the ministry's formula, one detail stood out: for fine particles, an IQA above 50 means a three-hour average above 35 µg/m³. That is close to the 35.5 µg/m³ daily level the CDC used to define a smoke day in its 2023 study, so a "mauvais" reading usually lines up with a smoke day. If your weather app shows the U.S. AQI instead, act once it goes over 100.
IQA categories from Québec's environment ministry (MELCCFP). Home actions are general guidance; follow local public health advice.
How Do I Protect My Drummondville Home From Wildfire Smoke?
To protect a Drummondville home from wildfire smoke, follow official advice first, then filter the air inside. Check the IQA and any Québec public health or municipal advisory, and leave if authorities tell you to. Once the IQA reads 51 or higher, or the U.S. AQI goes over 100, Filterbuy recommends these four steps, in this order:
If you have an HVAC system, switch to an EPA-recommended MERV 13 filter. It's the whole-home layer.
Set the thermostat fan to "On." "Auto" only filters while the system heats or cools. "On" filters all the time.
Run HEPA air purifiers in each room, bedrooms first. This is Filterbuy's rule. Health Canada advises a tobacco-smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the room's area, so a 300 sq ft bedroom needs a CADR of about 200. Skip any unit that makes ozone.
Close the house up. Shut windows and doors, and pause your air exchanger (échangeur d'air), since it pulls in outdoor air. Don't burn candles, fry food, smoke or vacuum without a HEPA vacuum while the smoke lasts.
No Furnace? Most Québec Homes Heat With Baseboards
Most Québec homes heat without ducts. Statistics Canada reported for 2021 that almost two-thirds of Québec households use electric baseboards (58%) or electric radiant heat (7%). Without ducts, a furnace filter has nowhere to go, so match the plan to the way you heat:
HVAC system (furnace or central air): an EPA-recommended MERV 13 filter with the fan on, plus HEPA air purifiers in each room. The two do different jobs, so use both.
Baseboards with an air exchanger: pause the exchanger during smoke. HEPA air purifiers in each room are your main defence, not an add-on, so start with the bedrooms.
Baseboards, no exchanger: keep the windows closed and run HEPA air purifiers in each room, bedrooms first.
No purifier yet: a box fan made since 2012 with a UL or ETL mark and a MERV 13 filter is a reasonable stopgap until you can get a certified cleaner. Never leave it running unattended.
Which MERV Rating Is Best For Wildfire Smoke?
MERV 13 is the rating Filterbuy recommends for wildfire smoke. The EPA recommends MERV 13 or higher in the central system during smoky periods, and Island Health in British Columbia calls it the minimum acceptable level. Filterbuy labels MERV 13 as Optimal, its highest-rated home filtration. Each Filterbuy filter has a signature green frame and colour-coded media.
Confirm the fit the way you confirm a size: check your system manual or ask your HVAC technician.
Filterbuy builds every tier in this table at its plants in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. Our author put it plainly in our guide to Canadian wildfire smoke:
MERV 8 is the right filter for a lot of homes on a lot of days. It is simply the wrong filter for the three days a summer when Canada is burning.
Filterbuy's smoke-season rules for Drummondville homes:
Fit MERV 13 before fire season and keep a spare, since smoke can arrive with a day or two of warning. Confirm the fit the way you'd confirm a size: our MERV rating guide shows how, or ask your HVAC technician.
Replace it when it looks dirty. During smoke, check the filter often and change it once it turns dark brown or black, as the EPA advises. That can be well before the normal 90-day interval.
Save the Odour Eliminator for after the smoke. It is built for lingering smell, not fine particles.
Filterbuy makes more than 600 sizes plus custom sizes, backed by over 85,000 five-star reviews, and ships free to Canada with no minimum purchase. Prices show in Canadian dollars at checkout. Find your MERV 13 filter size, then set up Subscribe & Save to save 5% on every order. You can edit, skip or cancel anytime.
Supporting Statistics: What The Research Shows
Canada's 2023 smoke crossed into the U.S., where independent researchers measured its effects.
1. Asthma emergency visits rose 17% on smoke days
Finding: U.S. asthma emergency visits ran 17% above expected across 19 days of Canadian smoke in 2023.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR, 25 August 2023.
2. A purifier on top of MERV 13 lowered indoor particles further
MERV 13 alone: in an Oregon home during 2020 wildfire smoke, indoor PM2.5 held at about 55% of outdoor levels.
MERV 13 plus one HEPA purifier: indoor PM2.5 fell to about 21%.
Source: EPA-supported study, Pollutants (2024), via PubMed Central, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
3. 44% of Americans live with failing air grades
Finding: 152.3 million Americans live where ozone or particle pollution earns an F, a rise the report partly ties to Canadian smoke.
Source: American Lung Association, State of the Air 2026: Key Findings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Have An Outdoor Fire In Drummondville Today?
Check SOPFEU's Centre-du-Québec page for fire danger and any provincial ban, then your municipality's rules. For evacuation or civil security information, call Urgence Québec at 1 877 644-4545.
What Symptoms Should I Watch For, And When Should I Call For Help?
Smoke can cause a sore throat, headaches or a mild cough. If you are worried, call Info-Santé at 811. For severe symptoms such as trouble breathing or chest pain, call 911, as Québec public health advises.
Should I Wear A Mask Outside On Smoky Days?
A well-fitting N95 respirator can cut your exposure to fine smoke particles. If you have a heart or lung condition, follow your health provider's advice.
Glossary
IQA (indice de la qualité de l'air): Québec's hourly air quality index.
PM2.5: Fine particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller, the main health-relevant component of wildfire smoke.
SOPFEU (Société de protection des forêts contre le feu): Québec's forest fire protection agency.
MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value): A 1–16 rating of how well an HVAC filter captures particles.
AQI: The U.S. Air Quality Index, shown in many weather apps. Filterbuy's action line is over 100.
HEPA: High-efficiency particulate air filtration.
Filterbuy: A U.S. maker of pleated air filters in 600+ sizes, serving Canada through filterbuy.ca.
CADR: Clean air delivery rate, a purifier's tested output for smoke, dust and pollen.
Need help with sizing?
The Filterbuy Canada team can help at (855) 345-8289 or by mail at 96 Carrier Dr, Toronto, ON M9W 5R1.
Sources
MELCCFP, Influence des feux de forêt de l'été 2023 sur la qualité de l'air au Québec
Données Québec, RSQAQ IQA statistics (category thresholds)
Québec MELCCFP, Air Quality Index
Natural Resources Canada, CWFIS interactive map
SOPFEU, Centre-du-Québec situation
U.S. EPA, Strategies to Reduce Exposure Indoors
U.S. EPA, Indoor Air Filtration
Health Canada, Using a portable air cleaner to improve indoor air
SOPFEU, Season reports
CISSS de la Côte-Nord, Feux de forêt : mesures de prévention (Q&A)
CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, Forest fires and air quality advisory, 25 June 2023
Island Health, Wildfire smoke letter, spring 2024
FireSmoke Canada, Current smoke forecast
Statistics Canada, The heat is on: How Canadians heat their home during the winter
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Asthma-Associated Emergency Department Visits During the Canadian Wildfire Smoke Episodes, MMWR 2023
Antonopoulos, Dillon and Gall, Experimental and Modeled Assessment of Interventions to Reduce PM2.5 in a Residence during a Wildfire Event, Pollutants 2024
American Lung Association, State of the Air 2026: Key Findings
Related reading: Live Canada wildfire and smoke map · MERV 13 air filters · Air filter MERV ratings guide