Sherbrooke, 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 Sherbrooke, QC Forest Wildfire & Smoke Map Today: Local Air Quality Tracking & Indoor Protection Solutions
The live map above shows where forest fires are burning across Québec and the rest of Canada today, and which way their smoke is drifting toward Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships (Estrie). The map can't tell you how much of that smoke reaches the street, so pair it with Québec's Air Quality Index (IQA), which has monitoring stations in Sherbrooke, and with Environment Canada's air quality forecasts. Both describe the air outside. Inside, what you breathe comes down to your furnace filter or, in a home without ducts, a portable air cleaner.
We're Filterbuy, a second-generation, family-owned manufacturer rather than a reseller, and we've cut air filters in 600-plus sizes in our own U.S. factories since 2013. We make filters, not forecasts. So this page points you to the official fire and smoke sources and spends its time on what we know from the factory floor and from our customers' questions: the air inside your home.
TL;DR
Sherbrooke, the largest city in Québec's Eastern Townships, rarely has a large forest fire nearby, yet it keeps breathing smoke from fires as far away as the Prairies. Check the map and IQA, and follow official advisories first. In Filterbuy's experience, homes cope best when filtration is ready before the haze arrives: MERV 13 in the furnace with the fan on, plus HEPA air cleaners in the rooms you use, or HEPA units alone in homes without ducts.
Key Takeaways
Estrie public health treats a fine-particle (PM2.5) reading of 30 µg/m³ as the point to start easing off hard outdoor activity, even if Québec's IQA still reads "acceptable."
Health Canada recommends HVAC filters rated MERV 13 or higher for wildfire smoke.
How to Read the Live Sherbrooke Wildfire and Smoke Map
Fire icons come from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), and the grey shading is smoke seen by satellite. That smoke can stay high overhead, which is why Filterbuy treats the map as the first of three checks:
Find the fires. SOPFEU's active fire map, run by Québec's forest fire agency, lists each fire in the province's protection zone and its status.
Follow the plume. Environment Canada's FireWork smoke forecast shows where the smoke is heading over the next 72 hours.
Confirm at ground level. Check the Sherbrooke stations on Québec's IQA map and Environment Canada's Info-Smog air quality forecasts. If the ground monitors and the map disagree, trust the monitors.
What Sherbrooke's Air Quality Numbers Mean
Dr. Mélissa Généreux, a public health physician with Santé Québec Estrie-CHUS, told La Tribune in July 2026 that fine particles are the number to watch during smoke. She pointed readers to AQmap, a Canada-wide PM2.5 map, and laid out these benchmarks:
Benchmarks: Dr. Mélissa Généreux, Santé Québec Estrie-CHUS, interviewed by La Tribune, July 2026. The Suggested step column summarizes her advice. Always follow official advisories first.
The IQA can lag behind Estrie's PM2.5 benchmarks. Québec's IQA rates each station good (1–25), acceptable (26–50), or poor (51+), and for PM2.5 it only turns "poor" above a three-hour average of 35 µg/m³. A Sherbrooke station can therefore still read "acceptable" after PM2.5 passes Estrie's 30 µg/m³ vigilance point. If anyone at home is sensitive, go by the PM2.5 number and their doctor's advice rather than the colour.
Filterbuy's action line: when Environment Canada issues a smog warning for Sherbrooke, the IQA reads "poor," or the AirNow map shows a U.S. AQI of 100 or more, put MERV 13 in your HVAC, set the thermostat fan to "On," run a HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room (bedrooms first), and close the house up. That threshold is Filterbuy's recommendation, not a government standard.
The fan step matters more than people expect. A furnace filter only cleans air while the system runs, which the EPA notes is usually less than 25% of the time during heating and cooling seasons, so a MERV 13 in a quiet furnace catches nothing.
Where Sherbrooke's Wildfire Smoke Comes From
Fires in Estrie stay small: SOPFEU counted 17 by late July 2026, burning 7.8 hectares. The heavy smoke travels in from farther away, as Filterbuy's live Canada wildfire and smoke map and live Ontario wildfire and smoke map show:
2023: On June 25, Environment Canada put Estrie under a smog warning as smoke from fires burning in Québec settled in.
2025: Smoke from northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba pushed IQAir's U.S. AQI for Sherbrooke above 170 on the morning of July 26. On August 3, Sherbrooke's PM2.5 hit 42 µg/m³ under another Environment Canada warning, above the 30 µg/m³ alert level.
2026: On July 18, PM2.5 around Sherbrooke held between 40 and 60 µg/m³ for about seven hours.
Fire icons thin out in fall, as CWFIS hot-spot mapping generally runs May to September and the IQA's forest-fire layer ends September 30. Yet in 2025, nearly 70% of Québec's forest fires broke out between August and October, according to SOPFEU's season review. In October, lean on FireWork and Environment Canada alerts.
How Do You Reduce Wildfire Smoke Inside Your Sherbrooke Home?
Follow Environment Canada alerts and Santé Québec Estrie-CHUS guidance first, and if they tell you to stay in or leave, do that.
A furnace filter does nothing for a home without a furnace, and in Québec that's a lot of homes: Statistics Canada reports that 58% of Québec households heat with electric baseboards (2021). Even with the windows shut and no air cleaner running, indoor PM2.5 still sits around 55% to 60% of outdoor levels, according to the EPA, and near 100% in leakier homes. A filter or air cleaner has to catch the rest:
Most furnaces and HVAC systems can take a MERV 13 filter when it is replaced often (U.S. EPA). Check your filter size before ordering.
In a ducted home, MERV 13 is the tier Filterbuy recommends for smoke. The EPA notes that most furnaces and HVAC systems can take a MERV 13 filter without equipment problems when it's replaced often, so the main check is a size match. As Michelle Wan puts it:
I don't want anyone to feel like they need an HVAC license just to pick the right filter.
Michelle Wan, Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer, Filterbuy
Smoke also loads a filter far faster than everyday dust. During a smoke event, the EPA advises checking it often and replacing it when it looks dirty (dark brown or black), which can be well before the usual interval. Keep a spare on hand. Reviewer David Clark sees what happens when that slips:
Most systems I test are not struggling because the filter is too efficient. They are struggling because it has been in there since spring.
David Clark, Licensed HVAC Technician, Filterbuy HVAC Solutions
If you rely on air cleaners, size them to the room. Health Canada's portable air cleaner guide recommends a tobacco-smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the room's square footage, so a 12 × 12 ft bedroom needs at least 96. Sized well, they've cut indoor PM2.5 by an average of 57% during smoke events, according to the NCCEH. Skip ionizers and ozone generators; the EPA advises choosing a cleaner that makes little or no ozone.
No air cleaner yet? Strap a Filterbuy 20x20x1 MERV 13 filter to the back of a 20 × 20 in. box fan. EPA research found the design effective and advises using a UL- or ETL-certified fan from 2012 or newer. Filterbuy's rule: never leave it running unattended. Treat it as a stopgap until you can get a certified air cleaner, or follow Filterbuy's Corsi-Rosenthal box guide for a stronger build.
Whatever your setup, keep windows and doors closed and limit exhaust fans, which Health Canada notes can pull in outside air. Skip candles, frying, and vacuuming while smoke is in. And know what a filter can't do, something Filterbuy tells customers plainly:
Odour is the main limit. Pleated filters catch particles, but smoke odours are gases, so if a smell lingers, try an Odour Eliminator (carbon) filter.
Sherbrooke Details Most Smoke Guides Miss
Heat can be the bigger risk. Dr. Généreux advises closing windows only if the home stays cool, because heat does more harm than poor air, and Health Canada's cleaner-air guidance aims to keep indoor spaces below 26 °C. AC and heat pumps cool without bringing outdoor air in, she notes. Filterbuy's caveat: a wall-mounted heat pump keeps you cool, but its mesh screen is a coil guard, not a smoke filter, so pair it with a HEPA unit. Can't stay cool? Head somewhere filtered, like a library.
Wood stoves are your call during a smog warning. Montréal bans wood-burning appliances during smog warnings, but Sherbrooke told La Presse in 2024 it doesn't regulate appliances. Following the province's advice to limit stoves and fireplaces is up to you.
Filter sizes are in inches, even in Canada. Sizing is the question Filterbuy's customer service team answers most, because builders frame the filter slot to fit the ductwork. Order by the size printed on your old frame. Filterbuy cuts frames just under that size on purpose so they seat without gaps, since smoke that slips around a filter never meets the media. For an odd slot, we cut custom air filters to order.
When Can You Open Up Your Sherbrooke Home Again?
Wait until Environment Canada's warning lifts, the IQA reads "good" or "acceptable," and PM2.5 drops below 30 µg/m³. Check FireWork for new plumes, then air out the house and reset your air exchanger.
Before the heat comes on, swap your smoke-season filter. In the Eastern Townships, late-season smoke runs into heating season, and in Filterbuy's view a summer filter shouldn't start winter already loaded.
Supporting Statistics
17% more asthma emergency visits. When smoke from Canada's 2023 fires drifted south, U.S. asthma-related emergency visits ran 17% above expected across 19 smoke days. (CDC, MMWR, August 2023)
120 counties failing for short-term particle spikes. "State of the Air" 2026 gave 120 counties in 23 states an F for short-term particle pollution and named wildfire smoke a key factor. (American Lung Association, State of the Air 2026)
About 50% less indoor PM2.5. A high-efficiency HVAC filter may cut indoor PM2.5 by about 50% when the fan runs continuously. (U.S. EPA, Strategies to Reduce Exposure Indoors)
Next Steps
Set up Filterbuy's Subscribe & Save. In our experience, filters rarely get skipped on purpose; the date just slips by.
Sherbrooke Wildfire and Smoke FAQs
Is There a Forest Fire Near Sherbrooke Today?
Check SOPFEU's fire map for Estrie, and save the region in a free alert profile. Fires near Sherbrooke are usually small; the haze comes from fires far away.
I Rent in Sherbrooke. What Can I Control During Smoke?
The furnace or air exchanger may belong to your landlord, so ask them to fit a MERV 13 before smoke season. A HEPA unit or a box-fan filter in your bedroom is entirely yours.
Glossary
PM2.5: Particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller, the main health risk in smoke. See Filterbuy's guide to PM2.5 ratings.
MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value): A 1-to-16 filter efficiency rating. See Filterbuy's guide to MERV ratings.
About the Author and Reviewer
Michelle Wan is Filterbuy's Brand Manager and Air Quality Writer. She works directly with Filterbuy's U.S. manufacturing teams, so she writes from how filters are made and used every day. David Clark, a Licensed HVAC Technician whose Filterbuy HVAC Solutions crews take residential service calls year-round, reviewed this page for technical accuracy.
Get Your Sherbrooke Home Ready for the Next Smoke Day
Filterbuy's MERV 13 (Optimal) filters come in 600+ sizes, with free shipping across Canada and prices in CAD.