Occurred Oct 20, 2026, 8:00:00 PM UTC

First published Oct 21, 2026, 2:10:15 AM UTC · Last updated Oct 21, 2026, 2:10:15 AM UTC

Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 54.357°N, 122.187°W — Near Willow River, BC, Canada

NOAA HMS classified a satellite-observed smoke area near Willow River, British Columbia, as heavy density, observed by GOES-EAST from 20:00 to 23:30 UTC on October 20, 2026. The source says this is not a ground-level air-quality measurement or health alert.

At a glance

Affected location: Near Willow River, British Columbia, Canada

Illustrative image: From uploader: Comparisons of good and bad air quality as effected by wildfire smoke. Looking north from East 33rd Ave., Vancouver, Canada. (Note: date recorded in EXIF may be wrong as image is tagged 2023 although the EXIF says 2022.) — Rod Raglin/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Why it matters

The report documents a heavy-density smoke extent but does not establish ground-level air quality or health risk.

Location

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Generated scores

Scores are based on the cited reporting and use a 1–10 scale. Read the methodology.

Confidence: 7/10How certain the assessment is based on the clarity and evidence in the cited reporting.
Geographic reach: 1/10How widely the event reaches, from a local area (1) to worldwide impact (10).
Global importance: 3/10The event's broader significance, from limited importance (1) to major global importance (10).
Impact magnitude: 2/10The scale or severity of the real-world impact, from minor (1) to extreme (10).
Urgency: 2/10How time-sensitive the event is, from low urgency (1) to immediate attention needed (10).

Primary official sources

NOAA HMS Smoke Detection Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 54.357°N, 122.187°W — Near Willow River, BC, CanadaNOAA/NESDIS Hazard Mapping System (HMS) Usage terms

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Related developments reported in the last 30 days. These are not necessarily ongoing incidents.

Nearby · within 200 km
Medium satellite-observed smoke area centered at 54.410°N, 122.289°W — Near Willow River, BC, CanadaOct 20, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
NOAA HMS classified a satellite-observed smoke area near Willow River, British Columbia, as medium density. The observation ran from 20:00 to 23:30 UTC on October 20, 2026; it is not a ground-level air-quality measurement or health alert.
Nearby · within 200 km
Medium satellite-observed smoke area centered at 54.551°N, 123.281°W — Near McLeod Lake, BC, CanadaOct 20, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
NOAA HMS classified the satellite-observed smoke extent as medium density, observed by GOES-EAST between 20:00 and 23:30 UTC on October 20, 2026. Its reported centroid is near McLeod Lake, British Columbia.
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Green forest fire notification in AustraliaOct 20, 2026, 11:00 PM UTC
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Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 51.916°N, 119.748°W — Near Vavenby, BC, CanadaOct 20, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
NOAA HMS classified a smoke area near Vavenby, British Columbia, as heavy density based on GOES-EAST observations from 20:00 to 23:30 UTC on October 20, 2026. The record describes satellite-observed smoke extent, not a ground-level air-quality measurement or health alert.
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Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 51.293°N, 119.316°W — Near Anglemont, BC, CanadaOct 20, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
NOAA HMS classified a satellite-observed smoke area near Anglemont, British Columbia, as heavy density. GOES-EAST observed it from 2026-10-20 20:00 to 23:30 UTC; the source says this is not a ground-level air-quality measurement or health alert.
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Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 50.485°N, 126.908°W — Near Woss, BC, CanadaOct 20, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
NOAA HMS classified a satellite-observed smoke area near Woss, British Columbia, as heavy density. GOES-EAST observed it from 2026-10-20T20:00:00Z to 2026-10-20T23:30:00Z.

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