NewsTracker Answers for week of July 20, 2026

Q: Toxic smoke from wildfires spread across several states and provinces last week, threatening the health of millions of people. Most of the smoke came from fires burning in the remote forests of northeastern Ontario. Where is the Canadian province of Ontario?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Some U.S. politicians condemned Canada over the spreading cloud of thick smoke. Wildfires were also producing smoke in which state on the Canadian border?

A. Maine

B. Michigan

C. Minnesota

D. Montana

C. Wildfires also were burning in Minnesota’s remote Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. So far this year, wildfires spewing toxic smoke have burned 5,740 square miles of the United States. That is 31% more than the 10-year average for this time of year.

Q: All but a half-mile of Ontario’s 1,682-mile border with the United States follows rivers and lakes, from the Lake of the Woods at the western end to the St. Lawrence River at the eastern end. Which state has the longest border with Ontario?

A. Michigan

B. Minnesota

C. New York

D. Ohio

A. Michigan shares a 721-mile border with Ontario, followed by Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Ontario has the longest provincial border with the United States, and Alaska has the longest state border with Canada –1,538 miles along the Yukon Territory and British Columbia. Michigan’s border with Canada is the second-longest.

Q: The vast majority of Ontario’s estimated 16 million people suffering under the smoke cloud live far away from remote wilderness fires. Ontario has Canada’s largest population, but it is less than half of California's 39 million in the most populous state. What is the least populated state?

A. Alaska

B. Delaware

C. Rhode Island

D. Wyoming

D. With a population of 588,753, Wyoming has fewer people in its 97,813 square miles than Washington, D.C., has in 68 square miles. Alaska is the largest state by area and has a population of about 737,000. The two smallest states, Rhode Island and Delaware, each have more than a million people.

Q: As the Earth has warmed, wildfires have become far more common. The toxic smoke from those fires kills nearly 700,000 people worldwide every year, according to a 2021 study. What is the estimated annual death toll for the United States?

A. 12,000

B. 24,000

C. 48,000

D. 96,000

B. An average of about 24,000 Americans die each year because of long-term exposure to the tiny particles from wildfire smoke, according to a study this year. Scientists have counted at least 1,000 toxins in wildfire smoke, which can trigger heart attacks, pneumonia, asthma emergencies, and other cardiovascular and lung issues.