Gatineau, QC Live Wildfire Smoke Map
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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 Gatineau, QC Forest Wildfire & Smoke Map Today: Local Air Quality Tracking & Indoor Protection Solutions
TL;DR
The live Filterbuy Canada map at the top of this page shows active fires and smoke plumes around Gatineau, Quebec, in near real time. Smoke on the map can sit high above the ground, so confirm conditions with Quebec's hourly IQA reading for the Gatineau-Hull station and Environment Canada's AQHI forecast for Gatineau. When smoke reaches ground level, close windows and filter your indoor air. The health guidance below covers the rest.
Key Takeaways
Gatineau has one active provincial air monitoring station, Gatineau-Hull, for a city that stretches about 37 km from Aylmer in the west to Masson-Angers in the east.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) publishes AQHI forecasts for Gatineau but not observed current values, so Quebec's IQA map is the source for hourly ground-level readings.
Filterbuy Canada's distance check found Ontario's Ottawa Downtown station sits 3.7 km from Gatineau-Hull, across the Ottawa River, and closer to Masson-Angers than the Hull station is.
Smoke from northern Ontario fires put the Gatineau-Hull station above the World Health Organization daily fine-particle guideline on 5 days between 10 and 15 July 2026, the most of 19 Quebec stations reviewed.
In July 2026, Quebec extended its ban on open fires in or near forests to all five Outaouais territories, including Gatineau; check SOPFEU for today's status.
How to Use the Live Gatineau Wildfire and Smoke Map Above
The interactive map at the top of this page is the quickest way to see whether a wildfire is burning near Gatineau today. Canadian fire locations come from Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), and smoke plumes come from satellite smoke analysis by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Switch the fire and smoke layers on to see both.
In our experience building these pages, a common misread is treating a plume as ground-level smoke. A plume means smoke is somewhere overhead, so pair the map with a ground reading. Timing matters too: the smoke layer shows what satellites have already observed, while FireWork forecasts the next 72 hours. These are the official sources the Filterbuy Canada team checked for this page, and what each adds:
SOPFEU Outaouais status: active fires and open-fire bans on the Quebec side.
CWFIS interactive map: Natural Resources Canada's national fire and hotspot data.
FireWork smoke forecast: ECCC's 72-hour forecast of where smoke and fine particles are heading.
Quebec IQA map: hourly readings at Quebec stations, including Gatineau-Hull.
ECCC AQHI for Gatineau: AQHI forecast maximums for today and tomorrow.
Ottawa Downtown station: Air Quality Ontario's observed hourly AQHI across the river, a useful second reading on smoky days.
For the wider picture, see the Canada wildfire and smoke map and, across the river, the Ontario wildfire and smoke map.
Is There a Forest Fire Near Gatineau Today?
For today's answer, use the map above with the SOPFEU Outaouais status page, which lists current fires and any open-fire ban; restrictions change with the weather. SOPFEU (Société de protection des forêts contre le feu) is Quebec's forest fire protection agency and covers the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River. To report a wildfire or suspicious smoke, call 911 or SOPFEU at 1-800-463-3389, or report it to SOPFEU online.
Forest fire risk here is local, too. In 2026, Quebec's public security ministry extended its ban on open fires in or near forests to Gatineau and the other four Outaouais territories, effective 6 July. In October 2025, a warm, dry autumn led to fires near Val-des-Bois, and 5 of the 10 active forest fires SOPFEU reported across Quebec in one update were in the Outaouais.
Where Gatineau Wildfire Smoke Comes From
Smoke over Gatineau has come from nearby Outaouais fires and from fires hundreds to thousands of kilometres away. We rebuilt this timeline from Environment Canada alerts in regional news and a citizen-science review of provincial station data, checking each claim against the original article:
6 June 2023: Smoke from local and Quebec wildfires pushed the National Capital Region to AQHI 10+, the top of the scale, and ECCC reported high air pollution in Ottawa and Gatineau.
Mid-June 2023: Quebec wildfires brought an ECCC smog warning to Outaouais sectors north and east of the city, including the Lièvre River area, with a high-risk AQHI forecast of 7.
5 June 2025: Prairie wildfire smoke prompted an ECCC special air quality statement for the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, north of the city.
10 to 15 July 2026: Northern Ontario wildfire smoke put Gatineau-Hull above the WHO daily fine-particle guideline on 5 days, the most of 19 Quebec stations in RevolvAir's review.
Which Air Quality Reading Covers Your Part of Gatineau?
Use Gatineau-Hull for current Quebec readings and Ottawa Downtown as a cross-check. When we pulled Quebec's published station list, we found one active provincial monitoring station for a city of five sectors: the Gatineau-Hull station at 255 rue Saint-Rédempteur has operated since 21 November 1996, and the older Gamelin station in Hull closed in 1997. The only other Quebec station nearby is a regional forest site at Lac Philippe in Gatineau Park. The IQA map also has a Forest fire impact tracking button, available 1 May to 30 September, that adds seasonal fine-particle sensors and a 72-hour fine-particle forecast.
ECCC publishes AQHI forecasts for Gatineau, but when we checked, its Gatineau page listed current conditions as not calculated. Across the river, Air Quality Ontario reports an observed hourly AQHI from its Ottawa Downtown station at Rideau and Wurtemburg streets.
To show how coverage plays out across the city, Filterbuy Canada calculated straight-line (haversine) distances from the published station coordinates to three reference points, rounded to 0.1 km:
Straight-line (haversine) distances from published station coordinates, rounded to 0.1 km. Sources: Quebec RSQAQ station list; Air Quality Ontario. Analysis: Filterbuy Canada, 30 September 2026.
Three points stand out. The two stations sit only 3.7 km apart on opposite banks of the Ottawa River, so both describe central Gatineau well. Aylmer and Masson-Angers are about 37 km apart, and the east end of the city is closer to the Ottawa Downtown station than to Gatineau-Hull.
Quebec's IQA guidance says an urban station is generally a good indicator for the whole urban area. On smoky days, we use a three-step check, especially for the eastern sectors:
Look up. Check the map above for a plume or fire near the Outaouais.
Look down. Open the Gatineau-Hull IQA reading for ground-level fine particles.
Look across. Check Ottawa Downtown's AQHI. If either reading shows poor or high-risk air, act on it.
"Gatineau and Ottawa breathe the same air but report it through two different systems. After mapping the stations, our advice is simple: on a smoky day, check the Ottawa reading across the river as well as the one with Gatineau in its name."
Filterbuy Canada Air Quality Team
How to Read Gatineau Air Quality During a Smoke Event
Three scales can describe Gatineau's air, and their numbers are not interchangeable. Use the IQA for current conditions at the Gatineau-Hull station, use the AQHI for forecasts and health messages, and treat a U.S. AQI figure in a phone app as a secondary signal.
The three scales use different formulas, so their numbers are not interchangeable. Sources: Quebec environment ministry (IQA); ECCC and Health Canada (AQHI).
During heavy smoke, everyone is at risk. Health Canada notes that people aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, and people with lung or heart conditions are more likely to be affected.
Health Canada's smoke preparation guidance recommends keeping windows and doors closed, upgrading the filter in your ventilation system and wearing a well-fitting N95 or equivalent respirator if you must spend time outdoors. If you have symptoms, call Info-Santé at 811 or seek medical care. In an emergency, call 911.
How to Reduce Wildfire Smoke in Your Gatineau Home
Official instructions come first. If public health or SOPFEU tells you to stay indoors, leave or evacuate, do that before anything else on this page.
Filterbuy Canada's action line is a U.S. AQI of 100 in your weather app, or a poor fine-particle reading at Gatineau-Hull. At that point, take these four steps, in this order:
Put a MERV 13 filter in your furnace or central HVAC. It filters the air the system moves through the whole house.
Set the thermostat fan to On. On Auto, air only passes through the filter while the system heats or cools.
Run a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room, bedrooms first. It works the room harder than the central system can, so use both layers.
Close the house up. Keep windows and doors shut, and skip candles, frying, smoking and vacuuming without a HEPA vacuum.
No central HVAC? In apartments and homes heated by electric baseboards, portable HEPA air cleaners are your main defence, not a supplement.
Why AQI 100? The U.S. index's Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category starts at 101, a 24-hour fine-particle average of 35.5 micrograms per cubic metre, and the IQA turns poor at a 3-hour average of 35. We act at the line rather than after crossing it, so a poor fine-particle reading at Gatineau-Hull is your local cue.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends upgrading to a MERV 13 or higher filter during smoke events, and notes that most furnaces and HVAC systems can use one without problems when the filter is replaced often.
Upgrade Your Furnace Filter to MERV 13
For wildfire smoke, choose MERV 13. Gatineau's long heating season means one filter handles July smoke and then months of winter furnace use. Filterbuy.ca carries MERV 13 filters in more than 600 sizes, including deeper 4-inch media, plus custom sizes for hard-to-fit returns. Filterbuy colour-codes its filter media by rating, and MERV 13 is the blue media inside the green frame, so the right filter is easy to spot at swap time. A pleated filter captures smoke particles. It doesn't remove smoke gases or odours, so treat it as one layer of your plan. Order by the size printed on your current filter's frame, the same fit check you'd do for any filter.
Check the filter during a smoke event. If the media has turned dark brown or black, replace it, which can be well before the usual interval. Keep spares on hand: a Filterbuy subscription does that with free shipping to Canada, and you can edit, skip or cancel anytime.
Size a HEPA Air Purifier for Each Room
Health Canada recommends a certified portable air cleaner with a smoke CADR (clean air delivery rate) of at least two-thirds of the room's area in square feet. For example, a 12 by 14 foot bedroom (168 square feet, about 15.6 square metres) needs a smoke CADR of at least 112. Ratings assume an 8-foot ceiling, so choose a larger unit for higher ceilings, and avoid any device that produces ozone.
No certified air cleaner on hand? U.S. EPA research found that a box fan with a MERV 13 filter attached reduces smoke in a room. Use a certified fan made in 2012 or later, don't leave it running unattended, and treat it as a stopgap until you can get a certified unit.
What About Your Air Exchanger?
If your home has a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery ventilator (ERV), it brings in outdoor air. During the June 2023 smoke episode, Quebec public health in the Capitale-Nationale region advised against using ventilation systems with an air exchanger until the smog warning lifted. Follow your manufacturer's instructions to pause or recirculate, and restart it once outdoor air improves.
When Is Wildfire Smoke Season in Gatineau?
Smoke risk around Gatineau runs from spring into autumn. Spring fires can start once the snow melts and before new growth greens up, summer brings most smoke from Quebec, Ontario and Prairie fires, and dry autumns can bring local fires again, as the October 2025 Val-des-Bois fires showed.
At Filterbuy Canada, we are publishing this update at the end of September for a reason: a filter that worked through a smoky summer may be heavily loaded just as the furnace takes over for winter, with windows shut for months.
Supporting Statistics: What U.S. Research Shows
Three U.S. federal sources back the guidance on this page.
17% more asthma emergency visits. Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Period: 19 days of Canadian wildfire smoke, April to August 2023.
Biggest spike: New York and New Jersey, 6 to 8 June.
The same smoke event pushed Ottawa's AQHI, directly across the river, to 10+.
About 90% of time spent indoors. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times more concentrated indoors than outdoors.
With windows shut on smoky days, indoor air is most of what you breathe.
48% to 78% less indoor PM2.5 (fine smoke particles) with HEPA air cleaners. Source: U.S. National Institutes of Health
Setting: Seattle homes during a 2020 wildfire smoke episode.
Study: University of Washington field research.
Finding: staying indoors alone didn't prevent excess smoke exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I see a live wildfire and smoke map for Gatineau today?
Use the interactive map at the top of this page for active fires and smoke plumes. For official detail, check the SOPFEU Outaouais page for Quebec fires and ECCC's FireWork forecast for where smoke is heading over the next 72 hours.
Why does my weather app show a different air quality number for Gatineau?
Many apps convert readings to the U.S. AQI, draw on a different station or use low-cost sensors. The U.S. AQI runs from 0 to 500 and doesn't match the IQA or AQHI scales, so use the IQA for current Gatineau conditions.
Does smoke from Ontario wildfires reach Gatineau?
Yes. Between 10 and 15 July 2026, smoke from northern Ontario fires pushed the Gatineau-Hull station above the WHO daily fine-particle guideline on 5 days. Ottawa's Downtown station, 3.7 km away, gives a useful second reading.
How often should I change my furnace filter during smoke season?
Inspect it after each smoke episode and replace it when the media turns dark brown or black. Heavy smoke can load a filter well before its usual replacement date.
Glossary
AQHI (Air Quality Health Index): Canada's 1 to 10+ health-risk scale for air quality, run by ECCC and Health Canada.
IQA (Indice de la qualité de l'air): Quebec's hourly Air Quality Index, reported by station as good, acceptable or poor.
U.S. AQI: The 0 to 500 Air Quality Index used in the United States and in many weather apps.
PM2.5: Fine particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller, the main health concern in wildfire smoke.
SOPFEU: Société de protection des forêts contre le feu, the agency that fights forest fires in Quebec.
CWFIS: The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, Natural Resources Canada's national fire mapping service.
FireWork: ECCC's air quality forecast model that predicts where wildfire smoke will travel.
RSQAQ: Réseau de surveillance de la qualité de l'air du Québec, the provincial network of air monitoring stations.
MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value): A 1 to 16 rating of how well an HVAC filter captures airborne particles; see the Filterbuy MERV rating guide.
HEPA: High-efficiency particulate air filtration, used in many portable air purifiers.
CADR (clean air delivery rate): A measure of how much filtered air a portable air cleaner delivers.
HRV and ERV: Heat and energy recovery ventilators, or air exchangers, that bring outdoor air into a home.
About the Author
Michelle Wan is Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer at Filterbuy Canada, where she writes about indoor air quality and wildfire smoke for Canadian homes.