Canada’s Having a Really Bad Wildfire Season—Almost the Worst Ever
OTTAWA, Ontario – August 14, 2025:So, Canada’s dealing with its second-worst wildfire season ever. As of early August, fires have burned about 7.3 million hectares—that’s about the size of New Brunswick. The only season that was worse was back in 2023. And get this, hundreds of fires are still burning like crazy in different provinces. Officials are saying this isn’t over yet, and climate change is making everything worse.
It Started Early and Got Bad Fast
Things kicked off way too early this year, around mid-May. There were over 160 wildfires all over the place. At first, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan got hit the worst, but now it’s spread from British Columbia all the way to Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s been so bad because spring was super warm and dry—like 2.5°C hotter than usual in some spots, according to the United Nations University.
These fires have been seriously intense. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have taken the biggest hit, with over half the total area burned. Because of all this, they’ve had to declare emergencies and get a bunch of people out of there.
People Are Getting Hurt and Evacuated
This wildfire season has been rough on people. Over 40,000 have had to leave their homes, which has messed up a lot of lives, especially in smaller and Indigenous areas. Sadly, two people in Lac du Bonnet, near Winnipeg, died because of the fires.
Besides the immediate risk, over 428 buildings have been destroyed, including homes, businesses, and important stuff like the water plant in Chipewyan Lake. Some tourist spots, like the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in Alberta, had to close down for the whole season because of the fire risk.
Running Out of Help, Getting Support from Other Countries
Because these fires are so big and lasting so long, Canada’s firefighting teams are stretched super thin. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) said we’re at the highest level of alert since late May, Level 5. So, we’re getting a lot of help from other countries.
Over 1,400 firefighters from other places have come to help out. This year, a lot of help came from countries like Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico, since their fire seasons happen at different times than ours.
A Worrying Sign and Some Big Problems
Some are saying this 2025 season isn’t just a one-off thing but the start of a new, bad situation. These really bad wildfire years—like 2023—are happening because of climate change. Scientists like Mike Flannigan from Thompson Rivers University are saying that it’s getting hotter, which makes the fire season longer and causes more lightning strikes that start fires.
This is a big deal for the future. It’s not just a problem for Canada but for the whole world. The smoke from the fires has made the air super bad, which is dangerous for people’s health in Canada and even down in the United States.
What the Big Guys Are Doing and Getting Ready for Next Time
To deal with this mess, the government is doing a few things. The Canadian government is helping people replace lost documents for free and helping out temporary residents who are affected. Newfoundland and Labrador gave $500 to families who had to leave their homes.
But a lot of people think we need to do more to get ready. Experts say we need to make communities safer, like creating fire breaks and making better evacuation plans. They’ve ordered some new firefighting gear, but it won’t arrive until 2029, which shows how hard it will be to deal with this new normal. This 2025 wildfire season is a loud wake-up call that we need to change how we take care of our forests and get ready for a hotter future.
