Expert says Canada's current wildfire season could match country's most destructive year
One expert says Canada could be set to repeat its record-setting wildfire season from two years ago.
The area that wildfires have burned so far this year matches the rate at which fires spread in 2023, said John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast, during an interview on CBC Morning Live on Thursday.
By the end of 2023, more than 6,000 fires had torched an unprecedented 15 million hectares across Canada.
"Just two years ago was the worst fire season in Canadian history by far, and what I'm really sorry to say … is 2025 looks like it's shaping up to be a repeat of 2023," said Valliant.
"In terms of hectares burned by this date, we're on pace with 2023 right now."
WATCH | Wildfire expert answers your questions on fire prevention, control:
Wildfire expert answers your questions on fire prevention, control
17 hours ago
Duration 16:38
John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World, answers viewer questions on fire prevention, the resources needed to bring wildfires under control and why they're becoming more frequent and intense.
Currently, Canada has three times the amount of land area burned from wildfires compared to the 10-year average, according to statistics from Natural Resources Canada. As of May 30, more than 1,400,000 hectares have been burned across Canada due to wildfires this year.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba are the two provinces that have seen the most land burned by wildfires this year.
As of May 30, Manitoba and Saskatchewan had almost five times and 10 times their average amount of hectares burned by wildfire compared to the 10-year average.
June weather is crucial
The extreme fire conditions can be attributed to an early heat wave in the eastern Canadian Prairie region, with temperatures hitting as high as 38 C in Manitoba, said Kyle Brittain, an Alberta-based weather specialist, in an interview on Edmonton AM this week.
"If we look back through the month of May, it was warmer and drier than average through a huge chunk of the Prairie provinces where most of the bad fire situation has really been focused," Brittain said.
"So anytime you have these extreme heat events that just really contributes to the drying of the forest fuels and then it's really hot, dry, windy weather on the day-to-day that can really contribute to these rapid rates of spread in the extreme fire behaviour that we've been seeing."
Whether or not Western Canada will see its wildfire situation improve will depend on the amount of rain in June, said Brittain.
"It's June, Western Canada's wettest month … If the rains show up, it can tilt the season either way. If they don't show up, we're almost guaranteed to have a pretty bad fire season persisting."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Saturday storm knocks down tree in southeast Calgary
A tree fell on Lake Sylvan Drive S.E. Saturday in Calgary during a rainstorm with heavy winds. Saturday's heavy wind and rain took a toll on at least one tree in southeast Calgary. The tree, on Lake Sylvan Drive S.E., toppled over Saturday afternoon. Crews arrived and cut it down into pieces that would be easier to haul away later. CTV News has reached out to the fire department to see how many other trees came down in the storm.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Evacuations underway as crews respond to forest fire on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore
Homes have been evacuated from an area near a forest fire on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. In a post to X on Sunday, Nova Scotia RCMP say they were assisting Halifax Fire and Emergency and the Department of Natural Resources at the scene of a forest fire along Ostrea Lake Road, which is located near Musquodoboit Harbour. Police said they are evacuating residents from the 600 block of Ostrea Lake Road and adjoining roads to Highway 7. On Facebook, a post from the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters Union stated that the fire is burning out of control and that homes were being evacuated. The public is being advised to avoid the area.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Boating advisory issued for Bow River: CFD
Marni Cain captured the Bow River on June 9, 2025. A boating advisory was issued for the river Sunday following heavy rain Saturday. Following a heavy Saturday rainfall, the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) issued a boating advisory for the Bow River on Sunday. At 10:21 a.m. the CFD issued the advisory, saying that the Bow has 'exceeded recommended safe flow rates for boating or swimming.' 'Effective immediately,' it added, 'the Calgary Fire Department advises against boating and all other water activities on the Bow River during this time.' The advisory came almost 12 years to the day that Calgary experienced the flood of 2013, when water poured over the banks of the Bow and the Elbow, but the city said in its release that that's not likely in 2025. 'Flooding over riverbanks is not expected,' the city said. 'However high flow rates may continue, making conditions on and near the river dangerous. 'Pathways near the river may continue to be affected,' the release added. The fire department said flow rates exceeded 280 cubic metres per second above the Elbow River confluence, along with turbidity and debris. 'We know that Calgarians love their rivers,' said CFD deputy fire chief Pete Steenaerts, in a release, 'yet we also know that when our waterways flow this high and fast, there's significant risk to anyone, regardless of your watercraft or skill level.' If you're near the river Sunday, you're advised to exercise caution around riverbanks, as fast-moving water can cause erosion and destabilization. Also: Warn children about the hazards of fast-moving water; Cyclists and pedestrians should watch for low-lying areas where the river can submerge pathways; and Keep pets away from fast-moving water. Saturday's forecast was for up to 80 millimetres of rain in the city. For more information, go here.
