Florida Live Wildfire Smoke Map
Get Alerts For Wildfires In Your Area
The moment a wildfire starts near you, you'll get an instant alert and simple tips to reduce your smoke exposure.
What's In The Smoke
30xSmaller than a human hair
Fine enough to reach deep into the lungs. A MERV 13 is built to capture it.
How Far It Travels
It Doesn't Stay Local
Smoke rides the wind far downwind — you can get smoky air with no fire nearby.
What To Do During A Smoke Event
Simple steps to reduce indoor exposure.
- Stay In, Close UpShut windows and doors to keep smoke out.
- Set Fan To "On"Keeps air cycling through your filter, not just when heating or cooling.
- Recirculate AirSwitch off fresh-air intake so you're not pulling smoke in.
- Run A MERV 13Built to capture the fine PM2.5 in smoke.
- Add A PurifierExtra filtration for the room you use most.
- Wear an N95 if OutsideFits snug to block fine particles — a cloth mask won't.
The Best Air Filter For Wildfire Smoke
During smoke events, the EPA recommends upgrading to a MERV 13 filter — or the highest-rated filter your system can handle — to help reduce the fine particles smoke brings indoors. MERV 13 is the level most home HVAC systems can run while still capturing PM2.5, the fine particulate that makes up the bulk of wildfire smoke.
- Captures PM2.5 particles
- Blocks ash, soot, and smoke odor
- Keeps your indoor air safe—even when the outdoor air is dangerous
- Meets the EPA's recommended rating for filtering fine wildfire smoke particles.
Wildfire Smoke FAQs
Facts About Wildfires
Over 70,000 wildfires burn in the U.S. every year.
Wildfire smoke can travel 1,000+ miles, affecting states that aren't even near the blaze.
Exposure to wildfire smoke can worsen asthma, trigger heart issues, and lead to ER visits.
Indoor air can hold more fine particles during wildfire events unless it's properly filtered.
The EPA advises using MERV 13 filters or portable HEPA air cleaners during wildfire smoke events.
Don't Wait Until The Smoke's Inside.
Use the live wildfire smoke tracker and upgrade your air filters today to protect your lungs and your home.
Shop Filters For Smoke Protection
Live Forest Wildfire & Smoke Map Today in Florida – Are You in the Danger Zone?
Florida air quality can drop fast from wildfire smoke and from prescribed burns used to manage land and reduce future fire risk. In this blog, we will show you how to check live smoke in your area today, what to do outside when the air is hazy, and how to keep indoor air cleaner.
Key Takeaways
Check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map in the morning and again if the wind changes. You’ll see AQI, PM2.5, smoke plumes, and current fire activity in Florida.
If air quality is poor, limit hard outdoor activity. This is important for children, older adults, and anyone with asthma or heart or lung issues. Heat plus smoke adds extra stress in Florida.
Indoors, keep windows and doors closed. Run A/C or HVAC on recirculate and use the highest MERV filter your system can handle.
Use MERV 13 if the system can still move air normally. A HEPA purifier or DIY box fan filter can help in the main room you use.
How to Check Live Smoke in Florida
Use the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. Search by your city or ZIP code. You will see:
Air Quality Index (AQI)
Fine particle pollution (PM2.5)
Visible smoke plumes
Active fire locations
Florida residents can also check wildfire status, fire danger rating, and county burn bans from the Florida Forest Service. Those updates help explain where smoke may drift through the afternoon.
Because sea breezes and fronts move fast in Florida, you should check more than once. Smoke that looks minor in the morning can reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups later in the day.
How Smoke Behaves in Florida
Florida uses prescribed fire to reduce fuel, protect homes, and manage habitat. These burns are planned and permitted, but they still create local smoke for a limited period downwind.
Wildfires and brush fires can add to that. Hot, dry periods and lightning can send smoke across multiple counties and push PM2.5 higher than normal. When that happens, agencies warn residents to stay indoors more, slow down outdoor work, and monitor air quality.
Florida also faces extreme heat. Guidance often mentions both heat and smoke together. If you feel chest tightness, trouble breathing, dizziness, or heavy fatigue, go indoors to cool air and rest. Seek care if symptoms do not improve.
What To Do Indoors
These steps follow current EPA wildfire smoke guidance and work in air-conditioned homes.
1. Keep outside air out
Close windows and doors. Set central A/C or HVAC to recirculate so you are not constantly drawing smoky outdoor air inside. Close any fresh air intake if possible, during smoke.
2. Run the fan to filter air
Set the thermostat fan to “On” instead of “Auto.” That keeps air moving through the filter. EPA recommends running the fan during smoke and checking the filter often.
3. Use a higher MERV filter
On normal days many homes use a basic filter. During smoke, EPA advises upgrading to a high efficiency filter such as MERV 13 if your system can keep normal airflow and comfort. Keep spare filters because smoke can load them faster than usual.
4. Create a cleaner room
Pick one room such as a bedroom or main living area. Keep that door closed and run a portable True HEPA purifier there. If you do not have a HEPA unit, EPA allows a DIY option using a newer box fan and a high efficiency filter taped to the intake side. Watch it while it runs.
5. Limit extra indoor pollution
Avoid burning candles, frying, vacuuming aggressively, or running bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans for long periods. Those steps can either add particles or pull smoky air in from outside.
Staying Safe Outside
Try to schedule yard work, workouts, or errands for the cleaner parts of the day. If the air looks smoky and you still have to be outside for a while, use an N95 or P100 that fits snugly against your face. Cloth masks and loose paper masks won’t block the fine particles in smoke.
Pay attention to how you feel. Coughing that doesn’t calm down, tightness in your chest, trouble catching your breath, feeling lightheaded, or feeling wiped out are signs to stop, get inside to cooler air, and rest. Get medical help if that doesn’t get better.
When you’re driving, keep the windows up and set the A/C to recirculate so you’re not pulling in smoky air from outside.
Filter Checks and Replacement
Do not wait for your normal 90-day change if smoke is in the area. Pull the HVAC filter and look at it. Replace early if the media looks dark or matted, if the house smells smoky, or if airflow from the vents feels weak. EPA notes that filters may need more frequent replacement during heavy smoke.
Do the same for portable HEPA units or DIY box fan filters. If the intake side is visibly coated, change it.
Get the Right Filter for Smoke Days from Filterbuy
Filterbuy provides pleated HVAC and A/C filters in high performance MERV ratings such as MERV 11 and MERV 13, with options that include activated carbon for odor. Filters are made in the USA, available in standard and custom sizes for a tight fit, and ship fast with free U.S. delivery. Auto Delivery makes sure you always have a clean filter ready before the next smoke or burn event.
FAQs
1. How do I check smoke in my area right now?
Use the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. Type in your city or ZIP code. It will show local air quality, smoke plumes, and nearby fire activity.
2. Why does it smell like smoke if there is no big wildfire near me?
Florida does a lot of prescribed burning to clear dry brush. That smoke can drift into nearby neighborhoods even when there is no emergency fire.
3. What AQI number should I pay attention to?
Start paying attention when AQI gets above 100. At that point, the air can bother children, older adults, and people with asthma or heart or lung problems.
4. What should I do on a smoky day if I have asthma or breathing issues?
Stay inside more. Keep windows and doors closed. Run A/C on recirculate so you are not pulling outdoor air in. Take breaks in cooled indoor air if you start coughing or feel tight in the chest.
5. Does heat make it worse?
Yes. Smoke plus high heat puts extra stress on your lungs and heart. If you feel lightheaded, short of breath, or wiped out, get inside, cool down, and rest.
6. How can I improve indoor air when it’s smoky outside?
Keep the house closed up. Run the A/C or HVAC on recirculate. Use the best filter your system can handle. A room HEPA purifier or a DIY box fan filter can help in the room you use the most.
7. Which filter should I be using?
Use the highest MERV rating your system can handle without killing airflow. If your system can handle MERV 13 and still blow normally, use it during smoke days.
8. Do I need to check my filter more often during smoke?
Yes. If the filter looks dark or clogged, or the airflow from your vents feels weak, change it. Do not just wait for your normal 90 day schedule.
9. What kind of mask should I use outside in heavy smoke?
Use an N95 or P100 that seals well to your face. Cloth masks and loose surgical masks do not catch the fine particles in smoke.
10. What should I do in the car when it’s smoky?
Drive with the windows up. Set the A/C to recirculate so you are not pulling smoky air into the cabin.