Last year, Canada had 7,100 fires, stretching from one end of the country to the other. Entire cities south of the Arctic Circle had to be evacuated. Smoke from the fires fell, darkening the skies over major U.S. cities.
These are some of the scenes created by last year’s record-breaking wildfire season in Canada. Now, government officials are on high alert as the weather warms up, with summer expected to bring hotter, drier weather perfect for fires.
Last year’s wildfire season got off to an ominous start, with nearly a million acres burned in Alberta’s sparsely populated northern region, forcing Thousands of residents Escaped in early May.
Small fires in rural Alberta have also forced thousands of people to leave this year, while a prolonged drought in parts of Western Canada has officials worried more fires could break out in the coming weeks.
Here’s the latest on Canada’s wildfire season.
Where are the wildfires burning now?
Wildfire season typically runs from March to October, with fire activity in western Canada typically intensifying in May.
In mid-May, several communities were forced to evacuate as firefighters in the western province battled blazes.In Alberta, a wildfire prompts about 6,600 people to evacuate near fort mcmurray, oil producing area. In 2016, it was also devastated by forest fires, which displaced 90,000 residents and became Canada’s costliest disaster.
Evacuation orders were lifted as rain allowed firefighters to contain the blaze.
About 4,700 evacuees in British Columbia’s Northern Rockies region were still waiting for permission to return to the town of Fort Nelson and nearby First Nations communities. Strong winds in northeastern British Columbia drove a wildfire toward Fort Nelson, where at least a dozen properties were destroyed or damaged, officials said.
Smoke from the Canadian fires also brought air quality warning in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Indigenous communities, most of which are in the boreal forest, face a higher risk of wildfires, Canada’s Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said at a news conference.
He appeared alongside two other ministers to provide Canadians with a fire weather update and highlight the government’s plans to step up emergency response this season, particularly in Indigenous communities.
Mammoth wildfires have been exacerbated by long-term droughts and extreme heat due to human-caused climate change, The researchers foundThe impact is changing the equation for emergency preparedness and redefining how Canadian officials think about wildfires.
“Our government believes in climate change,” Mr. Sajjan said.
What does the wildfire forecast show?
The season has gotten off to a flying start based on the number of acres burned so far and the intensity of the wildfires, but federal officials warn that it is still early and more fires are likely to start.
Throughout the spring, wildfires are expected to become more common in the southern Northwest Territories, eastern British Columbia and the central and northern Prairies — all regions experiencing a three-year drought that shows no signs of abating.
“Unfortunately, this forecast continues a worrying but somewhat predictable trend of hot, dry summers providing perfect conditions for severe fires,” Canada’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters at a news conference.
Officials say heavy rains and delayed snowmelt due to cooler weather have so far helped prevent fires because they add moisture to the soil. Continued rainfall may prevent the massive spread of fires that occurred last year.
But Sajjan said it could also have the opposite effect, as thunderstorms produce the lightning strikes that start most wildfires.
Canadian Forest Service research scientist Piyush Jain said in an interview that April temperatures across Canada were slightly above average.
Last year’s heat and drought conditions sparked raging fires in Quebec that blanketed parts of the U.S. Thick smoke billowsobscuring the skyline and issuing warnings of unhealthy air quality.
Officials said Quebec and Nova Scotia were not in drought at the start of 2023, but conditions changed abruptly in the spring due to rising temperatures and a lack of precipitation. They added it was difficult to predict whether the shift would happen again.
The government has announced it will invest in fire safety initiatives in Aboriginal communities, including distributing fire alarms and fire extinguishers to reserve residents who are poorly housed and lack firefighting infrastructure.
Funding will help with financing Culturally sensitive fire management These practices include prescribed burning, a technique that intentionally burns parts of a forest to remove dead vegetation that could serve as fuel for wildfires.
Last year, Canada quickly struck financing deals with provinces and territories to pay C$250 million to prepare firefighting equipment and personnel for the current season, Mr. Sajjan said.
Canada will also train 1,000 new firefighters by the end of the year, working with provinces and Indigenous communities, and is increasing funding for the deployment of firefighters abroad. More than 1,500 international firefighters Assisted Canada last year.
Aid groups and humanitarian volunteer organizations are also mobilizing. Sajjan said the Salvation Army is delivering supplies, including non-perishable food items, to some high-risk areas in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
