Trump threatens new Canada tariffs over fires sending 'filthy' air into US cities

Image source, Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images Image caption, Smoke from the massive wildfires has cast an orange haze over New York City By Nadine Yousif , Senior Canada reporter , Marco Silva , BBC Verify  and  Zahra Fatima Published US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on Canada after hundreds of wildfires have left much of the northern US choked by a blanket of smoke. The threat follows complaints by US lawmakers over the wildfires and Ontario's premier Doug Ford asking the US to send support to fight the fires, rather than complain. "The United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air," Trump said, threatening to impose new levies over Canada's "willful negligence". As of Friday, there were about 888 fires actively burning in Canada, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System , external - with the majority burning out of control. More than 190 of those blazes are burning in Ontario, some out of control. Trump said in his post to Truth Social that he would call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to demand an explanation over his country's "willful negligence," accusing the country of "not properly maintaining" their forests and brush. Fellow Republicans have used the issue to renew Trump's call to make Canada the 51st US state, a musing that has offended Canadians and prompted many to stop travelling to their southern neighbour in protest. Others online suggested a delay in opening the Gordie Howe International Bridge , a Canada-funded project that will connect Ontario to Michigan. Canada has not responded to Trump's tariff threat but Carney earlier noted that it was the responsibility of both countries to fight climate change. Relations between the US and Canada and been tense at times over the last year, mostly due to trade. Last year, Trump imposed tariffs on Canada - a country that had enjoyed decades of free trade with the US - and both countries have still yet to reach a trade deal. What started the wildfires? According to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, nearly 3 million hectares of land in Canada has already been destroyed by the wildfires. The impacts have been far-reaching, with a thick blanket of smoke spreading across US states , from Minnesota and Michigan to Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. "Hazardous" air quality alerts have been issued across much of the region, leading to the cancellation of many outdoor events. As of Friday, air quality in Detroit was worst in the world, Swiss air quality tracker IQAir said , external , followed by the Midwestern city of Chicago, Washington DC, and New York in seventh place. The far-reaching impacts of wildfire smoke – and how to protect yourself Canada fires prompt US air quality alerts as smoke blankets major cities In the open letter addressed to Canadian officials, US lawmakers John James, John Moolenaar, Jack Bergman and Lisa McClain said their "patience has run out". "We are done acc