Every year, about 7000 fires blaze across Canada, burning an average of 6.6 million acres of land. In 2026, over 10 million acres of land were burned. Wildfires are natural, and even necessary for dense forests. Canada, the United States, and other countries with large overgrown forests frequently experience wildfires during the summer months. With that being said, the state of wildfires occurring across Canada has increased significantly over the past few years. Though the quantity of fires has been shrinking, the size has been increasing exponentially, each fire burning acres of land across Canada. This disastrous season of wildfires has brought a state of emergency, displacing tens of thousands of Canadians, destroying countless habitats, and even causing tension between the United States and Canada.
Why exactly has the size and effect of wildfires changed so drastically throughout the years? Firstly, a large fraction of fires are caused by humans. Fires started by lightning are less than those started by humans, about 54% in Canada and up to 85% in the United States. The most common human-caused fires are due to accidental mishaps, such as leaving a campfire unattended, discarded cigarettes, sparks from ATV’s and trains, equipment malfunctions, arson, power line failures, and fire works near heavily wooded areas. Another human cause of increased wildfires is timber production. Timber production throughout the decades has caused damage to Canadian forests. It has led to the removal of large, more fire tolerant trees. This gives an opportunity for pest outbreaks. Insects such as the mountain pine beetle kill living trees in the area, creating more dead vegetation to become fuel for wildfires. The second reason for wildfires is climate change. Global warming has lengthened the fire season, meaning fires last longer and start earlier. Climate change has more than doubled the likelihood of extreme fires. Wildfires can also spread more rapidly. Climate change has affected the natural temperature fluctuation cycle. Nights used to be cool enough to slow down wildfires. Now, wildfires burn as intensely overnight as during the day, allowing them to spread much faster, and grow larger in size.
During wildfire season, fire crews use terms like “under control”, “partially contained”, and “out of control” to refer to fires. These terms help fire fighters understand the size, growth, and effect of the wildfires. Even when fires have been fully contained, they are still carefully monitored to ensure there are no sparks, or extremely dry areas to reignite the fire. During peak fire season, it is in the government of Canada’s best interest to mobilize all resources possible. Volunteer fire fighters from Mexico, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Australia have provided assistance to Ontario and British Columbia. As the wildfire season gets worse, organizations are beginning to realize there needs to be a shift in land management practices in order to prevent unnecessary damage during a fire. The Canadian government has begun implementing Indigenous fire management practices, and hiring Indigenous fire specialists, among other natural disaster experts. Indigenous fire management includes burning batches of forests under manageable conditions. Creating small, controlled fires which can easily be extinguished prevents those batches of land from being caught on fire. When wildfires would occur, they would burn for a short amount of time, because the pre-burned area would not ignite.
Indigenous communities have a close connection with fire. Fire was used to increase culturally important plants and foods for animals, it was used for spiritual ceremonies, and even to maintain clear paths for travel. After colonialism, fire was seen as a danger to life, architectures, and the timer supply. Fire suppression tactics severed a cultural and spiritual connection the Indigenous communities had. Furthermore, thousands of Canadians and First Nations communities have been affected by the wildfires. Northwestern Ontario had extreme wildfire activity in July, and Indigenous communities suffer more commonly during environmental disasters. Displacement commonly creates mental health challenges for Indigenous communities due to Canada’s colonial history with the First Nations. During European colonialism, the Indigenous people of Canada were displaced, placed into reserves, and, therefore, leaving ancestorial homes under evacuation order revives painful memories of previous forced removals.
As mentioned previously, the Canadian government is beginning to implement Indigenous practices as a preventative measure against wildfires. They have also created and funded the Canadian Forest services, which conducts wildfire science and technological development, to help create fire resistant landscapes. Canada also has a strategic plan called the Blueprint for Wildland Fire Science in Canada, which funds research in wildfires and resilient ecosystems. This blueprint should ultimately reduce wildfires across Canada, create long lasting infrastructure, recognize ancient Indigenous knowledge and practices, and deliver wildfire management solutions.
Many organizations and charities have been created in order to help displaced Canadians. Canada Helps is an organization that compiles all charities into one website. This allows individuals to make donations to specific causes they feel could use additional support. This could be providing food and water to citizens affected, or donating to rebuild urban areas impacted by natural disasters. All charities in Canada Helps are registered, meaning they are trusted and reliable. As mentioned previously, the Indigenous communities of Canada tend to be affected on a greater level than other Canadian citizens. The First Nations Emergency Services Society of BC — also on the Canada Helps website — provides First Nations communities with wildfire emergency support, which includes emergency preparedness training.
Canada has always had wildfires. They are an integral part of nature. Over the years, wildfires have gotten increasingly worse, and there is one main reason for that: climate change. When fires would occur, either man-made or naturally, there would be many, but they would cover a smaller portion of the area, and would not grow large in size. Recently, though there are fewer fires, they have grown much larger in size, burning more area than ever. More and more Canadians and Indigenous communities have been displaced or affected by the wildfires. The government has no choice but to do a complete shift in land management practices, and must develop new solutions to wildfires before they burn all of Canada.
By: Guneet Bal, WACNH Intern
