Smoke from Canada’s wildfires killed nine-year-old Carter Vigh – and 82,000 others around the world

Carter Vigh, who died from an asthma attack exacerbated by wildfire smoke in July 2023. Photograph: Amber Vigh

Amber Vigh had taken the usual precautions when bringing her nine-year-old son, Carter, to summer camp in July 2023. There were no fires near their home in British Columbia, Canada. Her air quality app showed low levels of pollution. She could not smell any smoke.

Carter, a music-loving Lego enthusiast who had asthma, brought along his smiling shark tooth-patterned emergency kit that held an inhaler, allergy pill and EpiPen. When smoke did roll in from the north, Vigh took him indoors.