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Canada's wildfire season is underway.

Fort McMurray residents can return home after wildfire evacuation
Firefighters patrol the evacuated neighbourhood of Grayling Terrace in Fort McMurray, Alta., on May 16, 2024.
opinion
The reality of Canada’s new season of fire
A firefighters monitors a pump in a river bed used for wildfire sprinklers in the evacuated neighbourhood of Grayling Terrace in Fort McMurray, Alta., Thursday, May 16, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Hard-working fire crews, rain help keep Fort McMurray wildfire from growing
British Columbia's wildfire service says the blaze threatening the northern community of Fort Nelson now spans nearly 130 square kilometres, but it was spreading away from the town yesterday along its southern flank. A view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C. is shown on Monday, May 13, 2024 in a BC Wildfire Service handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-BC Wildfire Service **MANDATORY CREDIT**
Weather co-operating as firefighters hold back Fort McMurray wildfire
Traffic moves along Alberta Highway 63 as wildfire smoke hangs in air in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Morning Update: Unease hangs in the air for Fort McMurray residents still shaken by last wildfire escape
A pumper truck sprays fire retardant on trees around the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

What to know about wildfires in Canada

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Latest news and updates about wildfires

canada
Fort McMurray residents can return home after wildfire evacuation
Firefighters patrol the evacuated neighbourhood of Grayling Terrace in Fort McMurray, Alta., on May 16, 2024.
opinion
The reality of Canada’s new season of fire
The Editorial Board
british columbia
Hard-working fire crews, rain help keep Fort McMurray wildfire from growing
British Columbia's wildfire service says the blaze threatening the northern community of Fort Nelson now spans nearly 130 square kilometres, but it was spreading away from the town yesterday along its southern flank. A view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C. is shown on Monday, May 13, 2024 in a BC Wildfire Service handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-BC Wildfire Service **MANDATORY CREDIT**
alberta
Weather co-operating as firefighters hold back Fort McMurray wildfire
Traffic moves along Alberta Highway 63 as wildfire smoke hangs in air in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
british columbia
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire causes ‘some structural damage’ outside town, mayor says
British Columbia's wildfire service says the blaze threatening the northern community of Fort Nelson now spans nearly 130 square kilometres, but it was spreading away from the town yesterday along its southern flank. A view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C. is shown on Monday, May 13, 2024 in a BC Wildfire Service handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-BC Wildfire Service **MANDATORY CREDIT**
canada
Morning Update: Unease hangs in the air for Fort McMurray residents still shaken by last wildfire escape
A pumper truck sprays fire retardant on trees around the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
canada
Rain keeping Fort McMurray fire at bay, as thousands out of homes in Western Canada
Justin Massie, wildfire specialist with Fire & Flood Emergency Service Ltd., adjusts a valve on a wildfire suppression water cannon along Highway 881 near Gregoire Lake Estates southeast of Fort McMurray, Wednesday, May 15, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
alberta
Fear, anxiety in Fort McMurray as people watch wildfire approach the city
Burned trees from the 2016 wildfire stand sentinel over a neighbourhood in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
canada
‘The whole country is not on fire’: Canadian tourism industry struggles as fires rage
Minister of Tourism Soraya Martinez Ferrada rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, May 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
politics
Politics Briefing: Ottawa to look beyond White House to defend interests south of border in case of Trump re-election, Blair says
Minister of National Defence Bill Blair speaks at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute conference on NORAD Modernization, in Ottawa on May 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
canada
Evening Update: As wildfire approaches Fort McMurray, Alberta officials hope cooler temps, winds could push the blaze away
This handout image courtesy of Kosar shows smoke and flames from the fire in Fort McMurray on May 14, 2024 as residents from the area of Abasand Heights evacuate the area. Evacuations have been ordered in oil-producing Fort McMurray, Alberta on May 14. Authorities have been bracing for another possibly devastating wildfire season, after Canada's worst ever last year that saw flames burning from coast to coast and charring more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) of land. (Photo by KOSAR / @superkosar Twitter account / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / KOSAR " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by KOSAR/@superkosar Twitter account/AFP via Getty Images)
alberta
As wildfire approaches Fort McMurray, Alberta officials hope cooler temps, winds could push the blaze away
A pumper truck sprays fire retardant on trees around the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
british columbia
Western Canada: Wildfire evacuations mark return of a nightmare
The cause of this wildfire remains under investigation. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has issued an evacuation order for the communities of Prairie Creek, Beacon Hill, Abasand, and Grayling Terrace. An evacuation alert remains in place for the rest of Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray 468 First Nation and Anzac.
canada
‘Day by day’: Alberta fire evacuees out until next week, weather to help B.C. crews
This handout image courtesy of Kosar shows smoke and flames from the fire in Fort McMurray on May 14, 2024 as residents from the area of Abasand Heights evacuate the area. Evacuations have been ordered in oil-producing Fort McMurray, Alberta on May 14. Authorities have been bracing for another possibly devastating wildfire season, after Canada's worst ever last year that saw flames burning from coast to coast and charring more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) of land. (Photo by KOSAR / @superkosar Twitter account / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / KOSAR " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by KOSAR/@superkosar Twitter account/AFP via Getty Images)
canada
Morning Update: Fort McMurray residents ordered to evacuate as wildfire approaches community
Smoke and flames are seen from the fire in Fort McMurray on May 14, 2024 as residents from the area of Abasand Heights evacuate the area.
canada
Fort McMurray residents ordered to evacuate as wildfire approaches community
This handout image courtesy of Kosar shows smoke and flames from the fire in Fort McMurray on May 14, 2024 as residents from the area of Abasand Heights evacuate the area. Evacuations have been ordered in oil-producing Fort McMurray, Alberta on May 14. Authorities have been bracing for another possibly devastating wildfire season, after Canada's worst ever last year that saw flames burning from coast to coast and charring more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) of land. (Photo by KOSAR / @superkosar Twitter account / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / KOSAR " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by KOSAR/@superkosar Twitter account/AFP via Getty Images)
canada
Wildfire near Fort McMurray, Alta., forces out hundreds
FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises from mutual aid wildfire GCU007 in the Grande Prairie Forest Area near TeePee Creek, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo/File Photo
canada
Wab Kinew tours Manitoba wildfire zone as evacuees await word on future
Crews are continuing to battle a wildfire in northwest Manitoba that has forced the evacuation of some 550 residents. The flag of Manitoba flies on Monday, November 1, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
canada
Fort Nelson evacuees wait it out as incoming weather holds key to B.C. firefight
The wildfire forcing thousands to evacuate from a northeast British Columbia town has doubled again in size as the blaze grows merely a few kilometres west of city limits. The Aurora Borealis shines overhead of a B.C. Conservation Officer Service vehicle near the junction of highways 97 and 77, as a wildfire burns in the background near Fort Nelson, B.C., in a Saturday, May 11, 2024, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
canada
Evening Update: Firms tied to ArriveCan got $1-billion in contracts; Wildfires flare up in Western Canada, threatening Fort Nelson
A person holds a smartphone set to the opening screen of the ArriveCan app in a photo illustration made in Toronto on June 29, 2022. The House of Commons was to admonish a private citizen Wednesday for the first time in more than 100 years in connection with the controversy surrounding the COVID-era app. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini
canada
Fort Nelson, B.C., at risk of being overwhelmed by wildfire in next 48 hours
The Parker Lake wildfire glows in an aerial photograph taken by a B.C. Emergency Health Services crew member through the window of an airplane evacuating patients from nearby Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada May 10, 2024. Andrei Axenov/BCEHS/Handout via REUTERS
globe climate newsletter
Globe Climate: Prevention and preparation as wildfire season beings
BC Wildfire Service instructor Katelynn Harness gives a pep talk to new recruits ahead of the ‘gear carry’ station on the recruits’ final day of boot camp in the mountains outside Merritt, B.C. The ‘gear carry’ involves packing huge loads of gear up a steep hill non-stop for two hours, and is designed to be “one of the toughest things you’ve ever done,” Harness said. Jesse Winter/ The Globe and Mail
british columbia
Fire officials concerned wind could push wildfire into Fort Nelson, B.C., today
The Parker Lake wildfire glows in an aerial photograph taken by a B.C. Emergency Health Services crew member through the window of an airplane evacuating patients from nearby Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada May 10, 2024. Thousands of residents in Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nations were evacuated, mainly by road to the south, as the nearby blaze nearly doubled in size to 4,136 hectares (10,220 acres) by May 12. Andrei Axenov/BCEHS/Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY

canada
Nearby wildfire brings back painful memories for Fort McMurray
This aerial handout picture courtesy of the Alberta Wildfire Service, taken May 11, 2024, shows smoke from wildfires burning 16km SW of the town of Fort McMurray, in Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Handout / Alberta Wildfire Service / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Alberta Wildfire Service / Handout" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by HANDOUT/Alberta Wildfire Service/AFP via Getty Images)
alberta
Wildfires rage in northern Alberta with communities under evacuation alert
Thousands of residents of Fort McMurray and the nearby community of Saprae Creek remain on an evacuation alert as an out-of-control wildfire burns south of the city, but municipal officials say in their latest update that winds on Saturday appear to be pushing the flames further south. A massive swathe of burned forest is seen as a wildfire designated MWF017 by the Alberta Wildfire Service, top right, continues to burn near Ft. McMurray, Alta., in a Saturday, May 11, 2024, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Alberta Wildfire Service, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
canada
Wildfire south of Fort McMurray grows in size as residents told to be ready to evacuate
An evacuation alert has been issued in Alberta for Fort McMurray as an out-of-control wildfire burns nearby. A wildfire designated MWF017 by the Alberta Wildfire Service is seen burning near Ft. McMurray, Alta., in a May 10, 2024, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Alberta Wildfire Service, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
british columbia
Wildfire mere kilometres from Fort Nelson, B.C., city limits doubles in size again
A hot spot from the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire burns in Scotch Creek, B.C., on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. The B.C. Wildfire Service says the tactical evacuation of "multiple neighbourhoods" is underway in Fort Nelson, as an out-of-control wildfire threatens the town in the province's northeast. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
opinion
Into the fire: In the Northwest Territories, we canoed through climate change
Manjushree Thapa
alberta
Fort McMurray under evacuation alert due to out-of-control wildfire nearby
A view of Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday April 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken
british columbia
Thousands in Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate as fire nears town
A hot spot from the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire burns in Scotch Creek, B.C., on Sunday, August 20, 2023. The B.C. Wildfire Service says the tactical evacuation of "multiple neighbourhoods" is underway in Fort Nelson, as an out-of-control wildfire threatens the town in the province's northeast.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
canada
Quebec forest fire workers vote in favour of strike mandate as summer wildfire season nears
Quebec forest fire workers have voted 99 per cent for a strike mandate as the summer wildfire season approaches. Firefighters work in a forest in Normetal, Que., in a June 11, 2023, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Caroline Boyaud, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
canada
Emergency management NGOs prepare for Canada’s wildfire season
Evacuees from the McDougall Creek wildfire gather outsisde the Mount Boucherie Community Centre in West Kelowna, British Columbia, on August 19, 2023. Around 30,000 people were under orders on August 19 to evacuate their homes in western Canada's British Columbia, provincial officials said, as a raging wildfire bore down on the city of Kelowna. (Photo by Darren HULL / AFP) (Photo by DARREN HULL/AFP via Getty Images)
canada
Start of wildfire season better than last year, but risk is high as drought continues
<p>The risk of wildfires remains high in Western Canada but the situation is currently better than it was at this time last year. Burned trees damaged from recent wildfires are seen in Drayton Valley, Alta. on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson</p>
canada
New recruits to BC Wildfire Service hone their skills for a hard season
report on business
Property insurer Intact rolls out pilot project to fireproof homes when wildfires are near
Intact Financial CEO Charles Brindamour said his industry is already seeing the impact of global warming in the increasing frequency of severe storms and changing weather patterns.
canada
Wildland firefighters call for change on frontlines of forest fire fight as season ramps up
Wildland firefighters work to extinguish embers in a forested area of Shining Bank, Alberta, Canada on May 19, 2023. In a country revered for placid landscapes and predictability, weeks of out-of-control wildfires raging across western Canada have ushered in a potent sense of fear, threatening a region that is the epicenter of the country’s oil and gas sector. (Jen Osborne/The New York Times)