Wildfire Smoke Poses New Challenges for PA

Pennsylvania confronts an unfamiliar climate hazard: Wildfire smoke

Wildfire smoke caused unhealthy levels of air pollution across Washington, D.C., in mid-July as fires raged across Ontario, Canada. A new study examining years between 2003 and 2019 found that the primary pollutant affecting pregnancies was wildfire smoke. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment.  Karen S…

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Is Turning Pennsylvania’s Summer Air Toxic

Hazardous smoke drifting south from Canadian wildfires pushed air quality to dangerous levels across Pennsylvania in July 2026, forcing childcare centers to keep children indoors while others remained outside unaware of the risks, Inside Climate News and Spotlight PA reported. At St. Paul Christian Early Learning Center in Lititz, director Karen Schaeffer made the call to keep all 130 children inside on July 17 after the EPA's air quality index …

Wildfire smoke poses new challenges for PA

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here. Karen Schaeffer is used to spending a lot of time thinking about how to keep kids happy and healthy. But only recently has she confronted a new problem at the childcare center she runs in Lititz, Pennsylvania: hazardous air wafti…