Smoke from hundreds of wildfires in the Midwest and Canada caused our air quality to deteriorate rapidly, reaching unhealthy levels. While we are fortunate not to be directly experiencing the devastating impacts of communities and ecosystems going up in flames, we still suffered the ill effects of the resulting smoke, and continue to do so at times.

While it may seem bizarre to think that fires can just ignite spontaneously (which they can), or that someone was out there with a lighter just itching to set things ablaze, let's dive into why Ontario is on fire, and why our air was toxic for a few days here in Chautauqua County.