Category Archives: Forest Fires

Forest Fires

Smoke knows no boundaries: What Canada’s fires mean for the U.S. in the future

By Scott Neuman
National Public Radio
June 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, United States

“Wildfires are happening more frequently. They’re getting bigger. They’re emitting more smoke,” Paige Fischer, a professor of environmental sustainability at the University of Michigan says. “The climate models are projecting that we’re going to have more frequent, more severe wildfires.” As of Thursday, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center said 201 fires are burning right now in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario … residents of the U.S. Midwest — especially in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan — are being forced to contend with the thick smoke. …the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow page is showing air quality moderate to unhealthy throughout a large swath of the U.S., with the worst conditions in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. …Lori Daniels, a forest ecologist and professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) who specializes in wildfire science, agrees. “Smoke knows no political boundaries — and neither does fire,” she says.

Related coverage in Euro News by Rosie Frost: Smoke from Canada’s wildfires reaches Europe amid extreme start to the 2025 fire season

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Canadian fire smoke threatens air quality in Canada, US as it reaches Europe

France 24
June 4, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, International

Canada’s wildfires have forced evacuations of more than 26,000 people and continue to spread with heavy smoke choking millions of Canadians and Americans and reaching as far away as Europe. Hazardous air quality alerts were issued for parts of Canada and the neighbouring United States. A water tanker air base was consumed by flames in Saskatchewan province, oil production has been disrupted in Alberta, and more communities are threatened each day. “We have some challenging days ahead of us,” said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, adding that the number of evacuees could rise quickly. …Heavy smoke has engulfed part of the continent, forcing residents of four Canadian provinces and the US states of Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin to limit outdoor activities. …Elsewhere, extensive forest fires have been raging in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District since early April, generating carbon emissions of around 35 million tons, Copernicus reported.

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US Department of Agriculture sends wildfire resource help to Canada

KIRO 7
June 1, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service has sent resources to Canada as wildfires spread across multiple parts of the country. On May 29, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center raised its wildfire preparedness level as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta, Canada, have seen very high wildfire activity. “We are here to help our neighbors during their time of need, and our Forest Service Wildland Firefighters are the best in the business,” said Brooke L. Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

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Manitoba premier ends state of emergency as wildfire danger recedes, evacuees return

By Steve Lambert
Flin Flon Reminder
June 23, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Wab Kinew

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the provincewide state of emergency has been lifted as the danger from wildfires recedes. He announced Monday that while the emergency rules are no longer needed, crews remain vigilant as fires rage. His government also says pressure remains on hotel room space for evacuees as Manitoba deals with one of its worst fire seasons in years. States of emergency allow for law changes and freedom restrictions so that various levels of government can work quickly and work together to respond to disaster situations. Kinew told a news conference that emergency powers should be invoked and renewed only when absolutely necessary. He said Manitobans need only look to the United States to see what happens when such powers are used recklessly. …Saskatchewan also has been battling one of its worst fire seasons in recent memory. …The province remains under a state of emergency.

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Rain dampens fire activity in Northwest B.C., largest fire ‘being held’

Victoria News
June 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

The B.C. Wildfire Service has changed the status of the province’s largest wildfire to “being held” as of Monday, June 16 after heavy weekend rains aided the firefighting effort. This Pocket Creek Fire in the province’s northeast corner is now 151,310 hectares. The fire had forced the closure of Highway 97 for a short time earlier this month. The area received more than 100 millimetres of rain over the weekend, “significantly” hampering fire growth, according to the wildfire service. A B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson said rain is expected to continue to reduce fire behaviour in the area over the next couple days. There are currently 53 firefighters and four helicopters still working the fire. The change in weather also means campfire bans were rescinded in the Peace Forest Districts, including the Dawson Creek and Fort St. John zones as of noon on Tuesday (June 17).

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Wildfire in B.C. central Interior triggers evacuation alert, fire crews on scene

The Canadian Press in Castanet
June 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Cariboo Regional District has issued an evacuation alert for properties near a wildfire that is burning out of control in British Columbia’s central Interior. The Martin Lake fire was discovered Sunday and is burning about 220 kilometres west of Williams Lake. The district says the purpose of the alert is to allow people to prepare to evacuate should it be necessary as conditions could change quickly. The BC Wildfire Service says the blaze has grown to about 290 hectares in size, and crews and aviation resources are on site, working to limit its spread. It is one of about 100 wildfires burning in B.C., many of which are situated in the province’s northeast. The service says most of those fires — including the Martin Lake blaze — are believed to have been set off by lightning, while 21 per cent are suspected to be caused by humans.

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Squamish wildfire being held, crews working toward full containment

By Jan Schuermann
CityNews Everywhere
June 16, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The wildfire on the northern edge of Squamish is classified as being held on Monday after a weekend of favourable weather conditions. BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Sarah Budd says dozens of ground crews are working to get the Dryden Creek wildfire fully under control. “We also have three helicopters actioning this fire,” Budd told 1130 NewsRadio, adding the fire now sits at just under 60 hectares. An evacuation alert for properties near the fire, issued by the Squamish Fire Department, has been downsized. Because the Dryden Creek Fire is in difficult terrain, it could take crews another week or so to wrap things up. “This fire has been burning in sort of really difficult terrain,” explained Budd.

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More Manitoba fire evacuees to head home

By Steve Lambert
Canadian Press in the Brandon Sun
June 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

WINNIPEG — Rain and cooler temperatures brought relief to fire-ravaged Manitoba and Saskatchewan Monday, allowing fire bans to be reduced and more evacuees to go home. The weather helped fire crews get an upper hand in parts of northern Manitoba to clear the way for some of the 21,000 or more evacuees to start returning home. David Monias, chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, reposted video of heavy rainfall on social media along with video of small planes leaving Winnipeg with evacuees who were forced out almost three weeks earlier. “Our people are coming home,” Monias wrote on Facebook, adding the community’s infrastructure is intact and water systems have been tested by health officials. …There were 18 fires still burning across Manitoba, with seven of them listed as out of control.

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Wildfire near Squamish being held, no longer burning out of control

The Canadian Press in CTV News
June 15, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Officials say a wildfire near Squamish, B.C., which forced the evacuation of the nearby Alice Lake Provincial Park and triggered a local state of emergency earlier this week, is now classified as being held after help from cool, cloudy weather. The BC Wildfire Service announced the fire was being held, meaning the fire is expected to remain within its current perimeter based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, on Saturday afternoon. The District of Squamish says the Dryden Creek wildfire has held steady at 0.6 square kilometres in size since Friday. The district says 65 B.C. wildland firefighters, five helicopters and one piece of heavy equipment are on scene to work alongside Squamish Fire Rescue staff to contain the fire. Although weather conditions seem favourable for firefighting efforts, the district says a state of local emergency remains in place.

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High winds fan Squamish wildfire

By Tiffany Crawford and Cheryl Chan
The Vancouver Sun
June 11, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

High winds fanned a wildfire threatening Squamish as some residents remained on evacuation alert and under a heavy blanket of smoke. On Wednesday evening, the B.C. Wildfire Service had mapped the Dryden Creek fire at about 54 hectares, or about a half-square kilometre, up from five hectares two days ago. The District of Squamish said daytime winds have contributed to the fire’s size, pushing it further north away from properties. “Existing containment lines on the southern flank are not currently threatened,” said the district in an update Wednesday evening. Aaron Foote, chief of Squamish Fire Rescue, said the fire is within 40 metres of some homes as debris from burning trees falls near properties, but added that the properties were not at risk. He said debris has been rolling down steep hillsides as local firefighters battle the blaze that’s looming over the community, next to the Sea to Sky Highway.

Related coverage from Lauren Vanderdeen at CBC News: District of Squamish declares state of local emergency due to wildfire

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Squamish wildfire grows to 14.4 hectares

By Alanna Kelly
The Squamish Chief
June 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The District of Squamish has declared a state of emergency as the Dryden Creek wildfire continues to burn out of control, prompting expanded evacuation alerts and a full campfire ban. The Squamish wildfire has reached 14.4 hectares. It still remains out of control. The District says that the increase in size reflects growth away from the community along a west-facing cliff. Tonight, there are 28 firefighters on the scene who are “working towards containment on the west and south flanks of the fire to prevent further spread, with good success.” Air tankers and helicopters continue to attack the blaze. The helicopters are going back and forth to Alice Lake to bucket water to the fire.

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B.C.’s major wildfires remain out of control, despite calmer day of wind

By Lauren Vanderdeen
CBC News
June 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Pocket Knife Creek

Crews fighting large B.C. wildfires may get a reprieve from harsh winds and temperatures Tuesday, but the major fires in the northeast of the province continue to grow out of control, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). Fire information officer Kelly Desrosiers says much lower temperatures, higher humidity and the lack of wind are all expected to result in significantly less fire behaviour for the Kiskatinaw River wildfire Tuesday. The Kiskatinaw River fire, located nearly 60 kilometres southeast of Dawson Creek, has grown to more than 216 square kilometres. It has been designated as a wildfire of note, meaning the fire is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety. As of Monday afternoon, as many as seven buildings and mobile homes had been destroyed by the fire in the small community of Kelly Lake, B.C., home to about 70 people.

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Wildfire updates: Evacuation order issued for Blueberry Mountain area | Six Alberta forest areas in ‘extreme wildfire risk’

By Mackenzie Rhode and Ricky Leong
The Calgary Herald
June 9, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Smoke from wildfires in northern Alberta and northeastern B.C. reached Calgary this weekend, resulting in poor air quality in the city through the weekend and into Monday morning. Fire bans remain in effect for a large part of Alberta, including in all of Rocky View County, as six of the province’s forest areas are considered to be at extreme wildfire risk. An evacuation order for parts of the County of Grande Prairie was expanded again late Saturday after the Kiskatinaw River wildfire in B.C. crossed into Alberta Friday afternoon. …As of Monday night, there were 60 fires burning in the province, with 23 of them classified as out of control. More than 615,000 hectares have burned in Alberta so far in 2025. Fire personnel and aircraft from British Columbia, Yukon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Washington State, Oregon and Idaho have arrived in Alberta to assist with battling out-of-control blazes.

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Fire southwest of Sproat Lake doubles overnight

By Susie Quinn
The Alberni Valley News
June 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fire crews with B.C. Wildfire Service have made progress on a fire burning in central Vancouver Island despite the fire doubling in size overnight. The fire at the base of Nahmint Mountain, southwest of Sproat Lake, was initially estimated to be 10 hectares after it was discovered Sunday, June 8, 2025 and reported by a pilot with Vancouver Island Soaring Centre. The fire is listed on the B.C. Wildfire map as being on Beverly Main and it has grown to 23.5 hectares. “With support from helicopter bucketing, fallers and heavy equipment, ground crews are continuing to work on containing the fire between drainages on the northeast and southwest flanks,” a BCWS spokesperson noted. The fire is still considered out of control.

Additional coverage in Nanaimo News Now: Nahmint Mountain fire near Port Alberni, BC grows

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Squamish wildfire at five hectares

By Jennifer Thuncher
The Squamish Chief
June 9, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

In response to the Dryden Creek fire, as this wildfire is called, Squamish Fire Rescue said in a post late Monday night that the District’s emergency response team is working out of the Emergency Operations Centre, located at Fire Hall 1 in Valleycliffe. The out of control fire is located above the eastern end of Depot Road, in the north end of Squamish. It said the BC Wildfire Service has “actively and aggressively” attacked the wildfire thus far by air and with ground crews and would continue to late into the night, and will begin again early this morning. Aerial attack will also resume early Tuesday morning, the post said. Late last night the District of Squamish issued evacuation alerts to those living in properties at the east end of Depot Road, east of Highway 99 including the campground Mountain Fun Basecamp and at the end of Tantalus Road.

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Drizzle in northern Manitoba not enough to quench wildfires as community leaders hope for downpour

By Lauren Scott
CBC News
June 8, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

©Canadian Armed Forces

As evacuees fleeing wildfires in northern Manitoba watched rainfall in parts of the province on Sunday, community leaders are warning the north needs heavier downpour to help firefighters on the ground. Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, said Sunday’s rain didn’t fall where it was needed most. “We did get the rain in The Pas but we need the rain in the north. We need the rain where the fires are to help the firefighters,” Forbes said. She said The Pas was about 100 kilometres away from the fire on Sunday afternoon. According to the province’s most recent fire bulletin on Sunday, the wildfire near Sherridon is more than 300,000 hectares in size and is still out of control. “The further north you went, the less rain there was,” Forbes said. The eight-degree temperatures are helping fire crews, she said, but it’s windy and the weather is “changing very quickly.”

Related coverage in Steinbach Online by Judy Peters: Eastern Manitoba wildfire remains largest in province as evacuation orders continue

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Rainfall dampens wildfire expansion in northern Saskatchewan, some evacuees returning home

By David Prisciak
CTV News
June 8, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Officials with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) say widespread rainfall has allowed a short reprieve for those fighting fires across the province’s north. In its daily briefing on Sunday, the SPSA reported minimal growth across its wildfires of note. “This rain was very much appreciated and needed. But we cannot slow down, and we’re not going to slow down,” SPSA President Marlo Pritchard explained. “This is the time where we can take advantage of this small window of opportunity. Gives us and our firefighter partners a small window of taking the fight directly to these fires while their intensity is lower.” As of Sunday afternoon, 24 wildfires in Saskatchewan were considered active. Of that total, three are considered contained, 12 are ongoing assessment, protecting values are the priority of three fires and six are considered not contained.

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Crews responding to out-of-control wildfire on Vancouver Island

By Ethan Morneau
Chek News
June 8, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

BC Wildfire Service crews are responding to an out-of-control, 10-hectare blaze south of Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island and say it’s expected to spread. Gordon Robinson, Coastal Fire Centre information officer, tells CHEK News 18 firefighters, three helicopters and a response officer are on scene in the Beverly Main area, west of Port Alberni. The fire currently measures 10 hectares, reads information online. The blaze was discovered on Sunday – and as of around 2 p.m., it’s listed as “out-of-control,” meaning it’s “anticipated to spread beyond the current perimeter or control line. Robinson says the fire is believed to be human-caused because there hasn’t been any lightning in the area. Crews are trying to determine the cause, the BC Wildfire website says, adding that such investigations “often take time and can be very complex.”

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B.C. wildfire fighters experience slight reprieve, but more wind on horizon

By Akshay Kulkarni
CBC News
June 7, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BC Wildfire Service

The B.C. Wildfire Service said that firefighters experienced a slight reprieve battling one of its most concerning blazes on Saturday, and it was seeing stable skies in the parched northeast corner of the province. However, another cold front is expected to bring high winds starting Sunday night into Monday, and conditions remain hot and dry across B.C. In addition…the Alaska Highway (Highway 97) continues to be threatened by a raging wildfire. For the Kiskatinaw River wildfire in the northeast on the B.C.-Alberta border, however, firefighters say that forecasted high winds overnight on Friday did not materialize. “We had calmer winds overnight than we expected and there was very minimal fire behaviour,” fire information officer Karley Desrosiers said Saturday morning. “So limited growth [is] expected.” The blaze covered an area of 130.6 square kilometres as of Saturday afternoon, and it has resulted in evacuation orders in the community of Kelly Lake.

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Saskatchewan wildfires have already burned 900K hectares of forest so far this year

By Colleen Silverthorn and Hannah Spray
CBC News
June 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Wildfires continue to rage out of control in northern Saskatchewan, and have now burned almost 1,000,000 hectares of the province’s forest so far this year and forced thousands of people from their homes. “Based on the estimates we’re looking at over 900,000 hectares in the province so far this year,” Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), said in an update Thursday when asked how much forest had burned this year so far. For context, the entire province of Prince Edward Island is about 568,000 hectares. New fires are starting daily, according to the SPSA. Three new fires started Thursday alone, and the massive Shoe fire in the Narrow Hills was estimated to be about 471,000 hectares in size as of late Thursday morning. As of Thursday afternoon, there were 27 fires burning in Saskatchewan, six of them not contained, according to the SPSA.  The fires continue to pose new threats daily.

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Nearly half of northern Alberta community destroyed as wildfires flare

By Wallis Snowdon
CBC News
June 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

As Albertans forced out by wildfires are being allowed to return home, other evacuees are learning their homes have been lost to the flames. During what has proven to be a devastating wildfire season across western Canada, the remote community of Chipewyan Lake has been among the hardest hit in Alberta in terms of damage to infrastructure. Close to half of the buildings in the small community, nestled in the boreal forests of northern Alberta about 450 kilometres north of Edmonton, have been destroyed. A wildfire swept through the remote community last week, hours after it was evacuated. Questions remain about how and when the community can rebuild, and where its 100 residents will live during the long recovery ahead. Chipewyan Lake lost some of its most critical community buildings, local emergency management officials with Bigstone Cree Nation and the MD of Opportunity No. 17 said Tuesday.

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Hundreds from Manitoba First Nations evacuate to Niagara Falls amid blazing wildfires

By Alex Arsenych and Aarjavee Raaj
CTV News
June 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Hundreds of Manitoba First Nations are seeking refuge in Niagara Falls, hundreds of kilometres away from home, as fires continue to ravage the Prairies. Though thecentral province is expecting some precipitation across northern Manitoba, the provincial government said it will be insufficient to supress the wildfires, as the forecasted rain comes with a risk of lightning. The Canadian Red Cross registered thousands of evacuees—more than 14,300—having to flee their homes because of the active fires, a figure that includes roughly 2,400 households forced to leave First Nations lands. The Manitoba Keewainowi Okimaknak (MKO) said on May 28 that around 17,500 people across six First Nations communities were trying to get to safety. With the province declaring a national emergency, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced 1,000 rooms have been made available to those who have been displaced from their homes after First Nations leaders asked for more space to be made available.

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Evacuation orders issued as winds fan flames of wildfire near B.C.-Alberta border

By Akshay Kulkarni
CBC News
June 3, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

New evacuation orders have been issued due to the Kiskatinaw River wildfire near the B.C.-Alberta border in northeastern B.C. on Tuesday, in addition to previous orders for 55 properties issued late last week. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire covered an area of just under 40 square kilometres, and is one of B.C.’s two “wildfires of note” — those that are particularly visible or pose a threat to public safety — the other being the Summit Lake wildfire in the far north. Highway 52 East remains closed in the area due to the blaze, which is burning close to the Pembina Steeprock gas processing facility. The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says that the wildfire is set to experience “significant growth in the coming days”, with winds up to 60 km/h pushing the fire north, south and east towards Kelly Lake and the B.C.-Alta. border by Friday.

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About 15,000 have fled Saskatchewan wildfires and more coming: Premier Moe

Canadian Press in Global News
June 3, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE ALBERT – As Manitoba grapples with wildfires that have forced more than 17,000 people from their homes, the premier of Saskatchewan said Tuesday the situation is becoming just as dire in his province. Scott Moe said upwards of 15,000 people have had to leave their communities and more are likely in the coming days. “We didn’t have a very good day yesterday,” he told reporters in Prince Albert, Sask. …Moe said the biggest destruction has been in places like the northern village of Denare Beach, near the Manitoba boundary, where some family homes have been lost. There will likely be challenging days ahead due to a lack of rain in the forecast, the premier added. …Marlo Pritchard from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said about 400 structures have been lost. Many firefighters had to stand down in some areas Monday due to “extreme fire behaviour,” he said.

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No relief in sight from wildfires as 20 Saskatchewan communities under evacuation orders

By Aishwarya Dudha
CBC News
June 1, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfires in Saskatchewan are expected to continue to grow aggressively during the next few days, fuelled by high temperatures, winds and dry conditions. And there’s no sign of relief in sight, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. “This will drastically impact our ability to contain some of these fires and will actually cause some of these fires to grow in size over the next period of time,” Steve Roberts, SPSA vice-president of operations, said Sunday. As of Sunday afternoon, 15 fires were burning in the province, down from 17 because two fires have merged and some small fires have been contained, the SPSA said. Roberts said 20 communities are under an evacuation order as of  Sunday. The latest evacuation orders have been in Sturgeon Landing and Timber Bay. Thousands of people have already been displaced from their homes in communities including Hall Lake, Pelican Narrows, Creighton, Denare Beach and Weyakwin.

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There’s a wildfire crisis in Western Canada. Why is this happening so early in the season?

By Tiffany Crawford
Vancouver Sun
May 31, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

It’s not yet summer, but out-of-control wildfires are raging across Western Canada, fuelled by drought, warmer temperatures and lack of rainfall. Residents in northeastern BC, near Kelly Lake, have fled their homes, as Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared provincial emergencies this week. As of Friday, wildfires in Manitoba had displaced more than 17,000 people. Thousands more have been given evacuation orders because of wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including 1,300 residents of Swan Hills, a community northwest of Edmonton. …“We did see similar early-season activity like this in the far northeast in 2023 and in 2024 in BC,” said Budd. “That’s really the result of prolonged drought in the region that goes back as early as 2022.” …Manitoba is also facing a dire situation. The Flin Flon fire, located on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border near Creighton, started at a landfill before crossing over the Manitoba border. It has grown to more than 200 square kilometres.

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Wildfire contained near Flin Flon, Man.; Saskatchewan hamlet ordered to evacuate

Canadian Press
June 1, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fire crews in northern Manitoba have so far been able to contain an encroaching wildfire that forced thousands from their homes, while more residents in Saskatchewan have been told to leave due to a fast-moving blaze. The Saskatchewan government issued an evacuation alert Sunday morning for the dozens of residents that live in the hamlet of Timber Bay. Residents were told to leave the community on their own and head south to a hotel in Regina, about 484 kilometres away, to receive further support. …Approximately 80 people from Timber Bay are the latest to be forced from their homes. In Manitoba, some 17,000 Manitobans have had to leave their homes due to fires. Officials in Flin Flon, Man., where a nearby out-of-control wildfire crews have been trying to keep a nearby blaze at bay, said the fire burning near the mining city has been contained to outside its perimeter highway…

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After weeks of escalation, rainfall has reduced wildfire hazards across northwestern Ontario

By Sarah Law
CBC News
June 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

Recent rainfall has reduced the wildfire hazard across northwestern Ontario, though the region’s largest wildfire is now more than 194,000 hectares large. Red Lake 12 — the fire that has forced community evacuations in Deer Lake First Nation and Sandy Lake First Nation — remains not under control. However, precipitation and cooler temperatures have given FireRangers more breathing room over the past few days and have also reduced smoke levels. However, thunderstorms this past weekend have created the potential for holdover fires caused by lightning, which crews will be monitoring over the next week. Red Lake 12 has 23 firefighting crews assigned to three divisions on the fire’s south and eastern perimeters, supported by 18 helicopters, including four heavy helicopters with increased bucketing capacity, Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update.

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Some residents allowed to return after forest fire in Halifax area prompts evacuation

The Canadian Press in City News
June 22, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

MUSQUODOBOIT HARBOUR — Halifax officials say some people who had to flee a forest fire on Sunday afternoon were being allowed back home, with provincial officials noting rain was falling and the blaze was being held. RCMP began helping evacuate people earlier in the day after issuing a statement about a forest fire in Musquodoboit Harbour, about 45 kilometres east of downtown Halifax, and police also asked other residents to avoid the area. Later, the Halifax Regional Municipality said some of the evacuees would be permitted to return home, while an evacuation centre would be opening for those not being allowed back. Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources department posted to social media late Sunday that the fire was being held at about 30 hectares in size and that rain was falling.

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Wet weather expected to help fight Badger wildfire, says N.L. fire officer

By Elizabeth Whitten
CBC News
June 19, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Jeff Motty

A wildfire is still threatening the community of Badger but wet weather is expected to help crews fight the fire, says Newfoundland and Labrador’s fire officer. The forest fire started on Tuesday, ignited by a lightning strike near the community. On Wednesday, the province ordered residents of the town to evacuate and head to the nearby community of Grand Falls-Windsor. The provincial government also brought in a province-wide fire ban. Forestry protection supervisor Jeff Motty anticipates Thursday will be a “bust day” fighting the wildfire that’s threatening Badger. “If everything holds through, the [fire weather index] should decrease down to a level of moderate,” he told CBC News on Wednesday evening, “which will be good for our crews to be able to get in and just start working that fire and trying to put out any hotspots and anything in between that they can get out.” 

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Wildfire burning near Badger, Churchill Falls fire being held

By Elizabeth Whitten and Alex Kennedy
CBC News
June 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

A wildfire has started near the Newfoundland community of Badger following a lightning storm in the area Tuesday afternoon. Craig Coady, the director of Newfoundland and Labrador’s wildfire program, told CBC News Tuesday evening the fire is burning about six kilometres from the community, and is burning east from the south side of the Exploits River. Crews received word of the fire just after 4 p.m. NT, Grand Falls-Windsor Fire Chief Vince MacKenzie said Tuesday. Torrential rain and lightning was reported in the area around the time, which prompted a short power outage for more than 8,500 people in the region. …It wasn’t the only fire crews were fighting on Tuesday. A wildfire burning near Churchill Falls, Labrador is now being held. The fire broke out on Monday but is being managed on Tuesday. It was considered out of control until Tuesday morning when the status changed to being held.

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As 2 dozen wildfires burn across northwestern Ontario, 3 First Nations still under evacuation

By Sarah Law
CBC News
June 15, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

©Ontario.ca

While burn bans have been lifted across much of northwestern Ontario, provincial authorities warn people to remain cautious while crews contend with two dozen fires in the region. Meanwhile the First Nations communities of Deer Lake, Webequie and Sandy Lake remain under evacuation orders. As of Friday, all evacuation and restricted access orders had been removed from the Kenora district, with implementation orders also lifted in areas near two wildfires known as Kenora 20 and Kenora 32. “Wildland fire suppression activities are ongoing on Kenora 20 and Kenora 32 but public safety relating to these fires is no longer a concern,” Ontario Forest Fires said Saturday night. …The region’s largest wildfire — Red Lake 12 — saw more activity on Saturday due to clear skies and north/northwest winds. The fire, described as a ‘sleeping giant,’ is more 175,000 hectares, and triggered evacuations from Deer Lake First Nation and more than 2,000 people from Sandy Lake First Nation.

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More than 1,400 evacuated by military as fires rip through northern Ontario

By Isaac Callan
Global News
June 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

More than 1,400 people have been evacuated from a remote community in northern Ontario using massive military transport planes as out-of-control wildfires spread across the province. On Sunday, Ontario asked the federal government to dispatch military personnel to help evacuate the community of Sandy Lake after a nearby fire expanded, doubling in size toward the edge of town in a few hours. Defence personnel said they had evacuated more than 1,400 people by 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The evacuations mark the latest twist in an already busy fire season in the province, one critics argue the Ontario government failed to prepare for. Data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre shows that the area of Ontario burned so far this year is already 38 times higher than it was last year.

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Forest fire near Deer Lake now simply huge

By Mark Stimpson
NWOnewswatch.com
June 4, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

The forest fire west of Wabaseemoong is no longer the largest in Northwestern Ontario now that a blaze farther north has grown to more than 65,000 hectares. The Red Lake 12 fire that caused the evacuation of Deer Lake First Nation last week was blanketing 65,186 hectares as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. That’s more than 3.5 times the size estimated on Monday. Smoke from fires to the west hurt the ministry’s ability “to monitor the growth of Red Lake 12 consistently throughout the operational window,” MNR fire information officer Allison Lake told Newswatch in an email. “After several days of reduced visibility, conditions improved, allowing for high-level infrared scanning of wildland fire Red Lake 12. “As a result of the scanning, the fire has now been remapped at 65,186 hectares, which accounts for growth that has occurred over the past few days.”

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Wildfires prompt air quality statements across northwestern Ontario as evacuations continue

By Sarah Law
CBC News
June 2, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

A number of special air quality statements are in effect across northwestern Ontario, as wildfire activity remains rampant throughout the region. Statements were issued early Monday morning for well over a dozen communities, including several First Nations… “Wildfire smoke is expected to move into the area early this morning and may remain in place for the next several days for some areas,” the statements say. “As smoke levels increase, health risks increase. Limit time outdoors.” Evacuations are continuing in Deer Lake First Nation and Webequie First Nation. Meanwhile, members of Wabaseemoong Independent Nations have been under an evacuation order since mid-May. Webequie First Nation first declared a state of emergency on Thursday. Chief Cornelius Wabasse said high demands for aircraft in other communities affected by wildfires delayed his community’s evacuation. “There is a shortage of planes and also other resources,” Wabasse said on Monday morning.

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France Canyon fire now burning 23,353 acres, at 10% containment

By Renisha Mall
ABC News 4
June 23, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

PANGUITCH, Utah — The France Canyon fire has increased to 23,353 acres and is currently at 10% containment, according to the latest information posted by the U.S. Forest Service – Dixie National Forest. Officials say fire activity increased at around 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, pushing eastward into the Kings Creek Campground area. Firefighters had to conduct a tactical firing operation to protect the campground. A total of 749 personnel are battling the fire and working on securing structures within Wilson Peak, the Hillsdale and Johnson Canyons. Firefighters are also working to keep the fire west of East Fork Road. Efforts are also underway to protect the Bryce Woodland community on the southwest side of the wildfire perimeter.

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Forest fires in Southwest New Mexico force evacuations, emergency orders

By Roz Brown
Kiowa County Press
June 21, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

Forest fires have broken out in parts of New Mexico that state forecasters had already warned would see an elevated wildfire risk this summer due to high temperatures, low snowpack and ongoing drought. At least 25 New Mexico jurisdictions imposed some level of fire restriction this spring. State Forester Laura McCarthy said the peak of fire season is still a week away, beginning June 26. …On Tuesday, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in response to the Trout Fire, which is burning in the Gila National Forest, forcing residents to evacuate. The Buck Fire also has burned more than 57,000 acres in the same area of Southwest New Mexico. The governor has urged localities to ban fireworks and restrict water usage. …”If you look at every single big fire we’ve had, there was either a lightning strike or a person behind it,” she added.

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A wildfire near Bryce Canyon grows, with high winds, rough terrain hindering containment efforts

By Brooke Larsen
The Salt Lake Tribune
June 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

@USDA

Hot, dry and windy conditions are putting much of Southern Utah at higher risk for wildfires. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the region through Monday evening, and the France Canyon Fire — the largest wildfire in the state — has grown to 2,159 acres and is just 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. “Fire behavior is expected to increase,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a press statement Monday afternoon. …The France Canyon Fire was first discovered 6.5 miles south of Hatch in Dixie National Forest on June 11. Officials suspect the blaze was started by lightning. Five hundred acres of active fire are burning in the Black Butte area on the Paunsaugunt Plateau west of Bryce Canyon National Park. Visitors to Bryce, as well as surrounding communities such as Tropic and Escalante may experience significant smoke impacts as wind gusts increase.

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US Forest Service takes command of 60 acre Red Bridge Fire as residents evacuate

KOMO News
June 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. — The US Forest Service has taken command of the 60-acre Red Bridge Fire burning about 7 miles east of Cle Elum. Level 3 evacuations were issued for those nearby. A Level 3 evacuation means residents should “go now” or leave immediately. A Level 2 evacuation means there is significant danger in the area; be ready to go or voluntarily evacuate. Level 1 means there is danger in the area. Residents should plan escape routes, but evacuations are voluntary, according to the Washington Smoke Blog. The Red Bridge Fire started on June 9, 2025, at approximately 3:57 p.m. As of 8 p.m., the fire is estimated at 60 acres and growing, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

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Wharton State Forest wildfire: Blaze now 80% contained after burning 5,750 acres

By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann
NJ.com True Jersey
June 15, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US East

New Jersey — A wildfire that began Friday in the Wharton State Forest in Burlington County is now 80% contained, fire officials said Sunday. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service posted on its Facebook page a total of 5,750 acres were scorched since the blaze began Friday morning. It was first spotted near the Carranza Memorial in the state forest. By 11 p.m. Friday, flames had grown to 3,250 acres, state fire officials had said. The blaze, dubbed the Mines Spung Wildfire, is located within Wharton State Forest in Shamong Township. A wildfire is defined by state fire officials as an uncontrolled fire burning different types of vegetation covering the land, with a “major wildfire” being anything that exceeds 100 acres in size. Crews on Sunday were continuing to mop up hot spots and patrol the fire perimeter, state fire officials said.

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