Regina, SK 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 Regina, SK Forest Wildfire & Smoke Map Today: Local Air Quality Tracking & Indoor Protection Solutions
The live wildfire map above shows where fires are burning across Saskatchewan and the Prairies today and which way their smoke is drifting toward Regina, SK. Regina sits in open grassland south of the boreal forest, so the haze over the city almost always comes from fires hundreds of kilometres away. To see what you're breathing, check the map alongside Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for Regina.
Filterbuy has built air filters in its own U.S. plants since 2013, so we'll leave fire forecasting to official sources and focus on the air inside your home.
TL;DR
Regina rarely has a wildfire nearby, yet it regularly breathes smoke from fires in northern Saskatchewan and neighbouring provinces. Check the live map for where smoke is heading and the Regina AQHI for what's reaching street level. When the AQHI reaches 7, Filterbuy recommends four steps: a MERV 13 filter in the furnace, the fan set to "On," a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room, and the house closed up.
Key Takeaways
Regina's smoke travels a long way. Its fires usually burn in Saskatchewan's northern forest or neighbouring provinces.
A forced-air furnace can filter the whole house once the fan is set to "On" and a MERV 13 filter is in place.
Smoke loads filters fast. Check yours during a smoke event and replace it when it looks dark brown or black.
Where Can I Check Wildfires and Smoke Near Regina Today?
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) active incidents map tracks forest fires inside the province, Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) FireWork smoke forecast maps where smoke is headed, and the Regina AQHI tells you what you're breathing right now. When the map and the AQHI disagree, go with the AQHI, since satellite plumes can show smoke high overhead. Filterbuy's guide to reading a smoke map explains the layers.
Why Does Regina Get Wildfire Smoke When No Fire Is Nearby?
Regina gets wildfire smoke because the wind carries it in, south from Saskatchewan's northern boreal forest and east from Alberta and British Columbia. Health Canada notes that smoke can travel thousands of kilometres, and when a cold front sweeps south, it can push that smoke down to ground level. That's how Regina can wake up hazy with no fire nearby.
Sources: CBC News, Global News, SaskToday, The Canadian Press.
In 2025, more than 500 fires burned nearly three million hectares across Saskatchewan. This year started more quietly. By July 9, the SPSA had counted 223 wildfires, compared with 366 at the same point in 2025.
How Fast Can Regina's Air Quality Change?
Very fast. On July 11, 2025, smoke kept Regina's AQHI above 10 for most of the night, and the Canadian Football League (CFL) postponed the Saskatchewan Roughriders–Calgary Stampeders game at Mosaic Stadium. By noon the next day, Environment Canada had the AQHI back down to 4.
Under the CFL's air quality protocol, play stops at an in-stadium AQHI of 8. At home, recheck the AQHI through the day when smoke is forecast.
Filterbuy's action line is an AQHI of 7, where Environment Canada's High Risk band starts. At 7 or higher, we recommend four steps: a MERV 13 filter in the furnace, the fan set to "On," a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room (bedrooms first), and the house closed up. The threshold and room-by-room advice are Filterbuy's recommendations; for health decisions, follow Environment Canada.
Risk levels: Environment and Climate Change Canada. Home actions are Filterbuy recommendations.
How Do I Protect My Regina Home From Wildfire Smoke?
Official guidance comes first. Environment Canada's air quality statements, SaskAlert orders, and local health advice outrank this page, and our steps support them.
Most Regina homes already have their best smoke defence in the basement: Statistics Canada found that forced-air furnaces heat 70% to 82% of Prairie households. The catch is the fan. Regina's smoke days run from late spring to early September, when the furnace sits idle on "Auto" and only filters when the heat or air conditioning kicks on.
Put a MERV 13 filter in the furnace. The EPA recommends a filter rated MERV 13 or higher during smoke events and notes that most furnaces and HVAC systems handle one without equipment problems when it's replaced often. Canada's Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation gives the same MERV 13 advice. Just match the size printed on your current filter's frame, like a Filterbuy MERV 13 (Optimal).
Set the thermostat fan to "On" so the furnace filters continuously.
Run a portable HEPA air cleaner in each occupied room, bedrooms first. The EPA's clean-room guidance covers one room; Filterbuy recommends one in every room people are using. Size each unit with EPA's rule: a smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the room's square footage, so a 300 sq ft bedroom needs about 200. Skip any unit that produces ozone, which the EPA advises against.
Close the house up. Keep windows and doors shut, limit exhaust-fan runs, set your HRV or ERV to reduce outdoor-air intake, and skip candles, frying, smoking, and vacuuming without a HEPA vacuum. Filterbuy's 7 easy steps to keep wildfire smoke out of your house covers more.
Inspect and replace. During smoke, replace the filter when it looks dark brown or black, which can be well before its usual interval, and keep spares on hand.
No ductwork? In apartments and homes with baseboard or boiler heat, portable HEPA air cleaners are your main defence, not a backup, so size them the same way. A DIY box fan with MERV 13 filters is a reasonable stopgap until you can get a certified air cleaner. Use a certified fan from 2012 or newer and never leave it running unattended.
We've worked through plenty of smoke seasons with Canadian households… they close the windows, keep the furnace fan running, and put a fresh MERV 13 filter in before the smoke arrives.
Filterbuy.ca Team
Which Air Filter Works Best for Wildfire Smoke in Regina?
MERV 13 is the tier Filterbuy recommends for wildfire smoke, in line with Canadian and U.S. wildfire guidance. It captures fine particles (PM2.5), the part of smoke small enough to reach deep into the lungs. Smoke smell comes from gases, which pleated filters don't target, so for odours look at the Odour Eliminator line. HEPA belongs in portable cleaners, never a furnace slot (MERV 13 vs. HEPA).
Sizing is the question Filterbuy's customer service team hears most, and the answer is printed on your current filter's frame, like 16x25x1. For odd sizes, we build custom air filters.
Supporting Statistics
1. Canada's smoke has a real health cost. A Health Canada study archived by the U.S. NIH linked chronic wildfire-PM2.5 exposure to 660–5,400 premature deaths a year in Canada (2019–2023).
Source: Matz et al., GeoHealth 2026, via NIH PubMed Central
2. A MERV 13 furnace helps, and a purifier helps more. In an EPA-funded study of a Portland, Oregon home during 2020 smoke, indoor PM2.5 averaged 55% of outdoor levels with a MERV 13 furnace running on and off, and 21% once a HEPA purifier was added.
Source: Antonopoulos et al., Pollutants 2024, via NIH PubMed Central
3. More filter area cleans smoke faster. In EPA lab tests, a box fan with four MERV 13 filters and a cardboard shroud cleaned smoky air 3.6 times faster than a fan with one filter. EPA advises using certified fans from 2012 or newer.
Source: U.S. EPA, Research on DIY Air Cleaners
Frequently Asked Questions
What AQHI Level Is Unhealthy in Regina?
Environment Canada rates an AQHI of 1–3 as low risk, 4–6 as moderate, 7–10 as high, and above 10 as very high. If someone at home has a heart or lung condition, follow Environment Canada's at-risk guidance and their health provider's advice.
Why Does My Weather App Show a Different Number Than the AQHI?
Apps such as IQAir often report the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), a 0–500 scale, while Environment Canada uses the 1–10+ AQHI, so the numbers won't match. Some smoke maps also show AQHI+, based on fine particles alone: the PM2.5 reading in µg/m³ divided by 10, rounded up.
Can a MERV 13 Filter Hurt My Furnace?
Rarely. The EPA notes that most furnaces and HVAC systems can use a MERV 13 filter without equipment problems when it's replaced often. Treat it like any fit check and match the size printed on your current filter's frame.
How Often Should I Change My Filter During Smoke Season?
Check it during every smoke event and replace it when it looks dark brown or black, which can be well before its usual interval. Keep spares on hand; Subscribe & Save can deliver them on your schedule.
Glossary
AQHI (Air Quality Health Index): Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1 to 10+ health-risk scale.
SPSA (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency): Saskatchewan's wildfire response agency.
CWFIS (Canadian Wildland Fire Information System): Natural Resources Canada's fire maps.
FireWork: Environment and Climate Change Canada's 72-hour smoke forecast model.
PM2.5: Particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller, the main health concern in smoke.
Special air quality statement: An Environment Canada alert for expected poor air quality.
MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value): A 1 to 16 filter efficiency rating.
HRV / ERV: Ventilators that bring in outdoor air.
CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate): A portable air cleaner's filtering speed.
HEPA: High-efficiency particulate air filtration for portable cleaners.
Odour Eliminator filter: A Filterbuy pleated filter with activated carbon.
Final Thoughts
Our honest take is that timing makes the biggest difference. Get a MERV 13 in before smoke season, keep spares in the basement, and when heating season starts, swap any filter that sat through summer smoke.
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