OTTAWA — This year's wildfire season in Canada is shaping up to be the second-worst on record and federal officials are warning of a dangerous summer in parts of British Columbia.
Officials with several government departments held a technical briefing Thursday in Ottawa with an update on the state of multiple wildfires and its forecast for the coming months.
"We are expecting a hot and dry summer, and definitely leading to a forecast of increased fire danger conditions for much of western and northern Canada," said Michael Norton, director general of the Northern Forestry Centre with Natural Resources Canada.
Wildfires have scorched 3.7 million hectares across the country so far — six times the area of Prince Edward Island.
Wildfires have consumed about 800,000 hectares on average annually since 2014. About 76 per cent of the total area burned in Canada is in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
"While the start of the season was relatively normal in the early spring, the forest fire situation got rapidly worse over the past weeks," Norton said.
"This had been driven by higher-than-average temperatures, especially across the west, with low accumulated precipitation on top of already dry conditions."
Modelling by Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests temperatures will be about a degree or two above normal across the country through August, though the risk of wildfires remains highest in central and western provinces and territories.
Natural Resources Canada is forecasting an extreme fire risk in southern British Columbia in July, while southwestern B.C. — including Vancouver Island — is expected to be hotter and drier than normal.
Canada has called on international aid to fight the 225 active wildfires. About 500 firefighters from the United States and Australia are helping out, while another dozen American firefighters are on their way and a federal agency is looking to request 100 more from Costa Rica.
International leaders are set to meet at the G7 summit in Alberta next week. While officials said there is little risk of fires or wildfire smoke affecting the summit, the topic of wildfires will be on the agenda.
"One of things that will be presented at the G7 is the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter," federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski told reporters Thursday.
She said the charter addresses "all aspects" of wildfires, including mitigation, response and recovery. Olszewski said members of the G7 have already committed in principle to the charter.
"There's not a doubt that wildfires affect us globally, and when we have a wildfire in one country it affects the others in terms of smoke, for example," she said.
"What G7 leaders will focus on is strengthening multilateral efforts to prevent, fight, and recover from wildfires," said John Kirton, head of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto.
Kirton said the discussion at the G7 likely will focus on "equipment interoperability" to allow G7 members to support each other during emergencies, and the use of satellite imagery to fight wildfires.
Kirton said the topic has become "a burning issue" in part because wildfires in places like Los Angeles and across the Prairies show how the threat is relevant to Washington and its G7 peers.
An out-of-control wildfire near Squamish, B.C., grew to more than 55 hectares Thursday and forced the evacuation of the nearby Alice Lake Provincial Park.
The Dryden Creek wildfire has almost tripled in size and the District of Squamish says increased wind activity Wednesday afternoon led to growth along its north flank.
In Saskatchewan, rain and favourable winds Thursday helped crews keep fires at bay and allowed 7,000 residents in the La Ronge area to begin returning home. So too for 600 residents of Cranberry Portage, Man., who were notified they can return beginning Saturday morning.
— With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa, Brittany Hobson and Steve Lambert in Winnipeg and Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025
Nick Murray, The Canadian Press
