WASHINGTON – Wildfire smoke blanketed the eastern US from the Great Lakes to Washington, DC on July 17, floodwaters tore through Texas’ Hill Country for a third day, and new fires erupted in the Pacific Northwest overnight, with 68 large blazes now burning in 15 states. Millions of Americans faced »»»

Share: By Brad Brooks, Maria Tsvetkova and Andrew Hay The sun rises next to The Empire State Building through a cover of wildfire smoke, as viewed from Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S., July 17, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Summary Millions of Americans face orders to stay indoors Firefighters are battling»»»

Warnings of dangerous conditions are expected to remain in place on Saturday across swathes of the US, amid uncertainty about where the heavy wildfire smoke swirling from the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of Minnesota will head next. Some parts of the US mid-Atlantic and north-east »»»