Canada on Track to Experience Worst-Ever Wildfire Season

According to Reuters (6-6-23), Canadian federal government officials are reporting that wildfires are burning in nearly all Canadian provinces and territories as of Monday (6-5-23), and that weather modeling shows increasing wildfire risk in most of Canada through August.

After an unprecedented start to the wildfire season, Canadian officials say that the country is on track for its worst-ever year of wildfire destruction as warm and dry conditions are forecasted to persist through the end of summer.

As of Monday, officials were reporting 413 active wildfires across Canada, including 249 that have been deemed as being out of control. Nearly 26,000 people are under evacuations across the country.

“The distribution of fires from coast to coast this year is unusual. At this time of the year, fires usually occur only on one side of the country at a time, most often being in the west,” Michael Norton, an official with Canada’s Natural Resources ministry, told Reuters.

Yan Boulanger, a researcher with Canada’s Natural Resources ministry, added, “Over the last 20 years, we have never seen such a large area burned so early in the season. Partially because of climate change, we’re seeing trends toward increasing burned area throughout Canada.”