--- description: Smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada is blanketing Vancouver and prompting air quality alerts title: Smoke From Wildfires Made Vancouver Air Worse Than Beijing image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68c7ea7e64d29270/69893851457a526212d5f290/gettyimages-1020992542.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Canada](/tag/canada/) ## Canada Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Smoke From Hundreds of Wildfires Has Made the Air in Vancouver Worse Than Beijing by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 22, 2018 8:13 AM CUT  This photo shows the Vancouver skyline under heavy haze as seen from Jericho Beach on Aug. 21, 2018. This photo shows the Vancouver skyline under heavy haze as seen from Jericho Beach on Aug. 21, 2018.Don Mackinnon—AFP/Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 22, 2018 8:13 AM CUT Thick smoke from the hundreds of wildfires scorching western Canada has [blanketed the city of Vancouver](https://www.afp.com/en/news/2266/smoke-wildfires-triggers-alert-vancouver-doc-18i63w1 "undefined"), sounding alarm over dangerous air quality levels on par with cities in China or India, Agence France-Presse reports. “It’s very, very hazy outside,” Vancouver air quality official Francis Ries told AFP. “We used to see the mountains (on the city’s north shore), but now we can’t see them at all.” According to officials, the smoke drifted in more than a week ago from the 563 fires across the western province of British Columbia. It is expected to last several more days, triggering the longest air quality alert in the seaport’s history. Some of the smoke is also coming from wildfires [scorching](http://time.com/5353749/california-fire-map-2018/ "undefined") northern California. The smoke has brought hazardous levels of fine particulate matter, higher than those in Beijing and more than double the amount of what’s safe for health, AFP reports. Poor air quality can be especially dangerous for infants, the elderly, and people with diabetes, or lung or heart disease. All summer the U.S. and Canada have been battling massive wildfires, exacerbated by hot and dry weather. This month, two wildfires in Northern California grew to be the [largest in the state’s history](http://time.com/5359518/california-wildfires-largest-climate-change/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5374214/vancouver-wildfires-air-quality/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5374214/vancouver-wildfires-air-quality/"},"headline":"Smoke From Hundreds of Wildfires Has Made the Air in Vancouver Worse Than Beijing","datePublished":"2018-08-22T08:13:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:13:05.265Z","description":"Air pollutions is reaching dangerous levels on par with cities in China or India","url":"https://time.com/5374214/vancouver-wildfires-air-quality/","keywords":["Canada","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68c7ea7e64d29270/69893851457a526212d5f290/gettyimages-1020992542.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68c7ea7e64d29270/69893851457a526212d5f290/gettyimages-1020992542.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"CANADA-FIRE-HEALTH","caption":"CANADA-FIRE-HEALTH","creditText":"Don Mackinnon—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/canada/","name":"Canada"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5374214/vancouver-wildfires-air-quality/","name":"Smoke From Hundreds of Wildfires Has Made the Air in Vancouver Worse Than Beijing"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Flames Inch Close to California Homes, Prompting Evacuation Orders for 20,000","description":"An intentionally set wildfire grew perilously close to homes in Southern California on Thursday as evacuation orders expanded to more than 20,000 residents, though some homeowners stayed behind to fend off the flames themselves.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/7B6PS9Z5/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-08-10T04:33:59.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7B6PS9Z5.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5374214/vancouver-wildfires-air-quality/","duration":"PT35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5374214/vancouver-wildfires-air-quality/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```