Chris Pascoe, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba who specializes in chronic respiratory diseases, says exposure to wildfire smoke at an early age can lead to frequent lung infections and an increased risk of developing respiratory diseases like asthma. (Karen Pauls/CBC)

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July 9, 2025 —

The community is not in imminent danger of the fire itself, but as people across Manitoba experienced this week, poor air quality due to wildfires can cause coughing, irritation, wheezing and chest pains.

Those effects are more acutely felt the closer you get to the fire zone, says University of Manitoba associate professor Dr. Chris Pascoe, who specializes in respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“Right at the site of the fire, or near the fire, the levels of these particulates can get to the point where respiratory symptoms and health concerns can set in very quickly,” Pascoe told CBC.

“If we’re feeling it in the city [of Winnipeg] as it’s blowing through, I can only imagine what it’s like to be right near that,” he said.

To read the entire story, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba.

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