Key Takeaways
- The 2023 wildfire season has become Canada’s most severe on record, with over 3,430 fires.
- 649 active wildfires are currently burning, including 353 out‑of‑control blazes.
- Warm, dry conditions in July heighten risk from British Columbia to western Labrador, expanding further in August toward western Quebec.
Ottawa: Natural Resources Canada said on Thursday the country’s record-breaking wildfire season will continue to be challenging.
The 2023 wildfire season has already been Canada’s most severe on record and current projections indicate that this may continue to be a significantly challenging summer for wildfires in parts of the country, the ministry said in a press release.
According to the ministry, most recent projections indicate a continued potential for higher-than-normal fire activity across most of the country throughout the 2023 wildland fire season.
This is due to long-range forecasts for warm temperatures and ongoing drought, which are affecting parts of all provinces and territories and intensifying in some regions.
For July, warm and dry conditions will increase wildfire risk from British Columbia and Yukon through to western Labrador.
During August, the area at risk will stretch from British Columbia through western Quebec, the release said.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre said on Thursday there were 649 active wildfires nationwide and the number of out-of-control wildfires was 353.
The number of wildfires in the country so far this year reached 3,430, devouring about 88,000 square kilometres of land.
