Castlegar Wildfire Smoke Map
Track hourly wildfire-smoke forecast guidance around Castlegar, the West Kootenay, and the Columbia and Kootenay river valleys with FireRadar's ECCC FireWork map.
Data status
Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada FireWork
Checking the latest official ECCC FireWork forecast status. Model issuance, forecast coverage and source status will appear when confirmed. Missing forecast data does not mean the air is clear.
Coverage: Modelled wildfire-smoke PM2.5 guidance centred near Castlegar; not an AQHI observation or a neighbourhood measurement.
View official source →Update details
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- Normal update timing
- Usually updated twice a day
Source and FireRadar check times may differ. Page preparation is separate from this live status check.
Forecast wildfire smoke near Castlegar
Check the ECCC FireWork forecast for this location. It is a modelled forecast, not a local sensor reading or AQHI observation.
Latest air quality near Castlegar
Checking the latest official ECCC AQHI observation. The value, reporting location and observation time will appear when confirmed. Missing data does not mean the air is clean or the health risk is low.
Open the AQHI observation map →Get an alert when wildfire smoke is forecast near Castlegar, BC.
Choose one alert threshold. A Free My FireRadar account includes three basic email Alerts. FireRadar Plus includes up to 10 enhanced Alerts, multiple compatible conditions and eligible SMS delivery.
This uses ECCC FireWork forecast guidance, not a live neighbourhood measurement.
Selected: Castlegar, BC · ECCC forecasts wildfire-smoke PM2.5 of 25 µg/m³ or higher.
Forecast smoke alerts indicate modelled wildfire-smoke PM2.5 crossing the selected threshold. They are informational and do not replace official health or emergency guidance.
How to read smoke around Castlegar
Castlegar sits where the Columbia and Kootenay river valleys meet, surrounded by steep forested terrain in the West Kootenay. Smoke can arrive from nearby Kootenay fires, the Boundary and Okanagan, Washington or Idaho, and longer-range western incidents. Valley channelling, slope winds, inversions, and elevation changes can concentrate or clear smoke differently from the broad regional plume, so FireWork should be treated as forecast guidance and compared with current observations.
Forecast, not a measurement
FireWork estimates near-surface PM2.5 attributable to wildfire smoke. It can differ from actual conditions around Castlegar because emissions, wind, terrain, mixing, precipitation, and model timing change. Use current AQHI observations and local health advisories when conditions matter to health.
A focused starting view, not a clipped dataset
This page starts the national FireRadar layer around Castlegar. The underlying FireWork smoke field is not clipped to municipal boundaries, so nearby conditions remain visible as you pan or zoom. FireRadar does not infer a uniform value inside a city boundary.
Health and safety limitation
FireRadar is an informational environmental map. Follow Environment and Climate Change Canada, provincial health agencies, local public-health guidance, and emergency authorities for health or safety decisions. This page does not diagnose exposure, determine whether outdoor activity is safe, or predict individual health effects.
Related Castlegar wildfire context
Smoke and air quality can change even when no confirmed wildfire is close to Castlegar. Use the local wildfire page for current official incidents, the fire-danger page for broad fire-weather context, and the province view when you need a wider regional picture.