Michigan air quality: State politicians call for Canada to better combat wildfires

DETROIT (FOX 2) - For many, it has started to feel like the bad air quality in Michigan from the Canadian wildfires is becoming the new summer normal. Now, state leaders and politicians are saying the recent batch of smoke is the last straw. 

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Fired up and fed up, lifelong politician Candice Miller called on Canada to figure out this wildfire situation. 

"I’m sorry it’s just not working anymore, and we are literally choking down here," Miller said.

Poor air quality in Michigan prompted Miller to write an open letter to the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra. Miller is asking Canada to implement new strategies in future wildfire prevention.

"I basically said, look, make some noise. We need to get politicians engaged in this at every level of government to talk to our Canadian counterparts there," she said. "We can't just say look, we got to wait until the winter, until the snow comes, and then it’ll go out, and we are going to have this again next summer."

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Jeff Casher with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said the state has sent 15 wildfire firefighters to Canada since July to help. 

"Our guys that have been up there get flown in on a helicopter, and you get dropped off, and then you’re camping out there and fighting fire," Vasher said. "They’re fighting it by hand, so what that means is it's all pumps and hoses."

With no bed and no showers near the artic circle in Manitoba for two weeks, they were swapped out. 

The rugged terrain in the area does not allow for big rigs to get in to fight, so it is hand-to-hand combat. The area is so vast, fires near people take precedent and the rest are left to burn. 

"They’re just, they’re out of people. They are worn out. They have been doing this since May," said Vasher.