Category Archives: Forest Fires

Forest Fires

Wildfire season’s ‘not slowing down’: emergency management minister

By Kyle Duggan
Canadian Press in Victoria Times Colonist
August 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada

OTTAWA — Western provinces and the East Coast should remain on alert for the possibility of more wildfire activity throughout the rest of summer, based on the latest federal government update. Wide swaths of B.C. and the prairie provinces are expected to be drier and hotter than normal. Federal government forecasters also see above-average seasonal temperatures for most of the country over the next three months. Typically in the more northern regions, fire activity starts to wind down around September as cooler weather sets in and the days grow shorter. Not this year. Federal bureaucrats said there’s a high likelihood that the large fires currently burning will continue well into the fall amid the higher temperatures. “Wildfire season’s not slowing down,” Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said at a virtual press conference in Ottawa on Monday.

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Active wildfires jump as heat warnings continue for parts of B.C.

Canadian Press in CBC News
August 28, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

The number of active wildfires in British Columbia has leapt by more than a dozen following several days of hot, sunny weather. B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) figures Thursday morning show 81 active blazes, up from 68 on Wednesday, with 19 new starts and seven fires declared out over the past 24 hours. There are now 17 fires classified as burning out of control, up from four on Monday, including a cluster of new starts in the northwestern part of the Cariboo region. The wildfire service’s map also shows three new blazes detected Thursday in conservancy areas northwest of Whistler. BCWS says hot, dry conditions have left fuels across much of the province highly susceptible to ignition and spread. …The wildfire service says thunderstorms in the south are bringing a risk of lightning to the Coastal and southern Interior fire centres, and while those storms could help moderate temperatures slightly…

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Fires on Lake Nipissing and Kahshe Lake remain active and uncontained

The Soo Today
August 28, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Three new wildfires were confirmed today in the Northeast Region, one is out and two are burning out of control, according to the latest report from Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services. North Bay 14 is on the north side of French River, about 4.5 km south of Sandy Island on Lake Nipissing. This fire is 1.5 hectares and not under control. Haliburton 26 is 0.5 hectares and located on Coo-ee Island on Kahshe Lake. The fire is also not under control. Chapleau 14 was 0.1 hectares and located on the south side of Bunting Lake, approximately 2.6 kilometres west of Perth Lake, and 1.1 kilometres south of Nackawic Lake. It is out. There are six active fires in the Northeast region; one is under control, two are not under control, and three are being observed.

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UPDATE: Wildfire southwest of Nanaimo now being held Nanaimo News Bulletin

Nanaimo News Bulletin
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A new wildfire started up last night and burned 8.6 hectares southwest of Nanaimo overnight, but the fire is now being held. B.C. Wildfire Service reports that a fire at Manson Creek is considered being held as of 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 25. The fire was discovered Sunday, Aug. 24, about two kilometres west of the intersection of Nanaimo Lakes Road and South Forks Road. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The wildfire service reported that two initial attack crews responded last night, with heavy equipment support. “With this support, crews were able to create a fire guard surrounding most of the perimeter,” the wildfire service noted.

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B.C.’s Fraser Canyon to bake under 39 C heat as wildfire prompts evacuation alerts

The Canadian Press in Energetic City
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

An air-quality warning remains in effect for parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to smog and wildfire smoke from a blaze that has prompted evacuation alerts for the Yale and Spuzzum areas. It comes as Environment Canada warns that temperatures in the Fraser Canyon and South Thompson regions are expected to reach 37 to 39 C this week, posing a moderate risk to public health. The smog warning spans eastern areas of Metro Vancouver as well as the central Fraser Valley, while the smoke warning covers eastern parts of the valley. It says smoke from the Sailor Bar wildfire burning in the Fraser Canyon has also resulted in elevated levels of fine particulate matter in the air. The fire has prompted the Fraser Valley Regional District to issue an evacuation alert stretching from Yale and north to the Spuzzum area, covering properties on both the east and west sides of the Fraser River.

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Vancouver Island wildfire downgraded again, no longer a fire of note

Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
August 23, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

©BCWildfireService

PORT ALBERNI — A wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C., that spurred evacuations and a state of local emergency last week has been downgraded again, leaving the province without any wildfires of note. The BC Wildfire Service said the Mount Underwood fire lost fire-of-note status on Thursday, meaning it was no longer “especially visible” or posing a threat to public safety, after it was doused by 40 millimetres of rain over the past week. The service had announced a day earlier that the fire was being held, meaning it was not expected to spread beyond its current 35-square-kilometre size. …The Mount Underwood fire had shown aggressive growth in initial days after being discovered on Aug. 11, forcing the sudden evacuation of a nearby campground and leading to several other evacuation orders and alerts.

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Wildfire prompts evacuation alerts north of Hope, B.C., air quality warning in Fraser Valley

By Lauren Vanderdeen
CBC News
August 24, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A new wildfire between Hope and Spuzzum, B.C., along Highway 1, has led the Fraser Valley Regional District and Spuzzum First Nation to issue evacuation alerts. An evacuation alert requires residents to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. The regional district’s alert currently affects about 240 people over 85 properties on the east and west side of the Fraser River between Spuzzum and Yale, according to Samantha Piper, Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) communications manager. …The blaze, dubbed the Sailor Bar wildfire, was discovered late Saturday night on the east side of the Fraser River, opposite Highway 1, seven kilometres north of Yale. The fire, which measured 120 hectares in size as of Sunday evening, is classified as out of control, meaning it is expected to spread beyond its current perimeter. …the fire is burning at Rank 2, which is an open visible flame front and a slower rate of spread.

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Vancouver Island wildfire evacuees to hear soon when they can go home

By Ashley Joannou
Canadian Press in Victoria Times Colonist
August 19, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Sharie Minions told a news conference Tuesday that officials are working with the BC Wildfire Service to update two evacuation orders and three alerts that are in place due to the out-of-control Mount Underwood fire. The regional district’s chief administrative officer Daniel Sailland said about 50 permanent residents had to be evacuated along with approximately 150 campers and other visitors due to the fire, which was discovered Aug. 11. Fire information officer Karley Desrosiers said 160 personnel are working on the fire, which is not expected to grow beyond its current 36 square kilometres as the area warms up after several rainy days. “We have received considerable rain since Thursday, and more rain is expected today,” she said. “Going forward, we are expecting conditions to get a little bit warmer and a little bit drier and a bit windier as well. …The blaze has shut off power and the main road access to Bamfield since Aug. 11. 

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Mount Underwood wildfire less intense but still burning out of control

By Hannah Link
Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
August 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

The B.C. Wildfire Service said about 36 millimetres of rain has fallen on the Vancouver Island blaze since Thursday, and the fire is not expected to return to intensity levels seen last week, although warmer and drier weather is on the way mid-week. Weather forecasts show cloudy skies, moderate temperatures and possible rain, which should help keep fire activity in check, the service said. The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District says on Facebook it has closed its clean air relief centre for local residents as smoke levels from the Mount Underwood fire drop, but power and cellphone services remain out for residents of Bamfield, and the main road access to the community remains closed. The regional district says Telus is sending a mobile cell tower to the area. It’s scheduled to arrive later this week to restore telecom services in Bamfield. About 3,671 hectares have been burned in the fire.

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Mount Underwood wildfire grows to 3,668 hectares as rain falls near Port Alberni

By Jeff Bell
Victoria Times Colonist
August 16, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

Overnight rain helped calm an out-of-control ­wildfire near Port Alberni on Friday, but it won’t be enough to put out the blaze, which has grown to more than 3,600 hectares burned. The B.C. Wildfire Service said about seven ­millimetres of rain overnight lowered the behaviour of the Mount Underwood blaze “to mainly a smouldering ground fire.” Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with ­Environment Canada, said 10 to 20 millimetres of rain was expected Friday, followed by some showers ­continuing into Saturday. “The real good news story is there should be enough moisture, and humidity should be high enough, that it should let the B.C. Wildfire Service crews get a better handle on the situation,” Proctor said. “But it’s not going to extinguish the fire. “We need much, much more rain than what we’re seeing to do that.” Proctor said ongoing drought conditions have made the ground very dry, which is why a lot of moisture is needed.

Related coverage in the CBC News, by Akshay Kulkarni: Wildfire that forced hundreds to flee on Vancouver Island now under controlThe B.C. Wildfire Service announced Saturday evening that crews made significant progress in fighting the Wesley Ridge wildfire burning on the north banks of Cameron Lake, about 50 kilometres northwest of Nanaimo in southeast Vancouver Island.

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Wildfire crews hope for reprieve as rain falls on Vancouver Island blaze

By Courtney Dickson
CBC News
August 15, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

PORT ALBERNI, BC — Rain has arrived on Vancouver Island, where an out of control wildfire has been burning for several days. The Mount Underwood wildfire, south of Port Alberni, BC, covers about 34.06 square kilometres, according to the BC Wildfire Service’s latest information Friday morning. It has forced evacuations, prompted local states of emergency and caused power outages throughout the area since it was discovered on Monday. Environment Canada is forecasting rain all day Friday and into the weekend in the area, which could aid firefighters battling the blaze. The area around Port Alberni could get up to 20 millimetres on Friday, the weather agency says. …A special air quality statement remains in effect for eastern and inland Vancouver Island. …As of Friday morning, there are 83 wildfires burning across the province. Of those, six fires are burning out of control.

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Wildfire raging near Port Alberni shows ‘extremely vigorous’ — and unusual — behaviour

By Jeff Bell and Brenna Owen
The Times Colonist
August 14, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A raging wildfire that has forced evacuations on south-central Vancouver Island has been burning at some of most severe levels of fire behaviour, a display that is “unusual” for the region, the BC officials said. Karley Desrosiers, an information officer with the service, said there was “aggressive” growth on the fire within a couple hours of its discovery on Monday. The blaze was reported at about 6:30 p.m. and it had grown to span 600 hectares by the end of that day. By Wednesday, the fire had grown to span more than 20 square kilometres. …Desrosiers said the blaze was not threatening the communities of Port Alberni, Bamfield or Youbou. …The blaze spurred the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, City of Port Alberni and Tseshaht First Nation to declare states of local emergency. …She attributed the unusually severe fire behaviour to a drought that has gripped Vancouver Island this spring and summer.

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New wildfire southwest of Port Alberni grows to 1,391 hectares; smoke advisory issued

By Jeff Bell
Victoria Times Colonist
August 12, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

A rapidly growing wildfire near Port Alberni has cut off the main road access to Bamfield and prompted a state of local emergency and the evacuation of a campground and an area northwest of Cowichan Lake. The Mount Underwood wildfire was estimated at 1,391 hectares, or almost 14 square kilometres, as of Tuesday afternoon, making it the largest blaze on Vancouver Island. An air quality advisory for inland Vancouver Island was issued on Tuesday afternoon, with smoke from the fire impacting air quality near Port Alberni and in areas to the southeast, such as Lake Cowichan. Areas along the west coast of Vancouver Island from Tofino to Sooke may also experience periods of smoke, but to a lesser degree, the notice said. BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Christi Howes said the fire, which was discovered on Monday, has forced the closing of the road between Port Alberni and Bamfield. 

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20 homes destroyed in Annapolis County wildfire

By Anjuli Patil
CBC News
August 28, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

The Nova Scotia government has confirmed 20 homes were destroyed last weekend in the Annapolis County wildfire, which remains out of control and is estimated at 8,234 hectares — or more than 82 square kilometres. According to a news release on Thursday, the residences were destroyed Sunday on West Dalhousie and Thorne roads. Not all of the residences were primary structures. “Our hearts are broken for residents in the West Dalhousie community who’ve lost their homes,” Premier Tim Houston said in a news release. “It’s overwhelming to get that news, it will be a long road to recovery, and I know residents will find comfort through this strong, tight-knit community. The wildfire in the West Dalhousie area of Nova Scotia is still burning out of control and has destroyed 20 homes. The Long Lake fire, which started on Aug. 13, is estimated to be 8,234 hectares in size (or more than 82 square kilometres), as of 11:30 a.m.

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9 active wildfires burn in New Brunswick, 2 out of control

By Oliver Pearson
CBC News
August 27, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Nine wildfires are burning in New Brunswick as of Wednesday evening, two of them out of control. Three fires are contained and four are being patrolled, according to the province. The total number is down from the 17 wildfires burning on Tuesday and the 39 burning 10 days ago. The Beaver Lake Stream fire in Northumberland County, near the Kennedy Lakes Protected Natural Area, is still out of control. The fire was 338 hectares on Tuesday and is now 456 hectares… The Rocky Brook fire is also out of control about 40 kilometres south of Dalhousie and is 175 hectares, down from 204 hectares in the previous report. …Natural Resources Minister John Herron said earlier this week that the wildfire situation is moving in the right direction, especially now that the province is no longer seeing temperatures “flirting with 40 C.” On Monday, he said the wildfire season could run to the end of September and possibly into October.

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Firefighting force on Long Lake wildfire grows to more than 170, plus 17 aircraft and 70 dozers

By Ian Fairclough
The Chronicle Herald
August 28, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

©Province of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia — A replacement incident management team from Ontario is in Nova Scotia and taking over at the helm of the Long Lake wildfire for a bit. That will give the team from the Department of Natural Resources a break and time for rest before they return to dealing with the fire, which is now estimated at 8,234 hectares. The handover is a common occurrence in dealing with wildfires in Canada. …Crews are working the entire perimeter of the fire today while continuing to focus on the east side of Paradise Lake, where the closest threatened populated areas are Trout Lake and Albany on Highway 10. Those areas were evacuated Sunday after the fire more than doubled in size and high winds pushed it across West Dalhousie Road. …Evacuations have put more than 1,000 people out of their homes since the fire started.

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More firefighters coming to relieve Nova Scotia crews as wildfire grows to 8,026 hectares

By Andrea Jerrett
CTV News
August 26, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

After more than doubling in size on Sunday, the out-of-control wildfire in West Dalhousie, N.S., grew again on Monday – from 7,780 hectares to 8,026 hectares. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says the Long Lake wildfire, which first started on Aug. 13, has now advanced along both sides of Paradise Lake, despite some rainfall Monday. “Yesterday we had a little bit of rain, which was wonderful, so our crews did not have to respond to any (new) wildfire incidents yesterday,” said Jim Rudderham, director of fleet and forest protection for DNR, during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. …DNR says crews are focusing on the east side of Paradise Lake as they try to prevent the fire from spreading to Trout Lake. They also continue to build guards in an effort to contain the perimeter north of West Dalhousie Road. …DNR says there are six other wildfires burning in the province, but they are all under control.

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Following destructive wildfires, New Brunswick reopens forest access

By Hina Alam
Halifax City News
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

New Brunswickers will be permitted once again to enter the province’s forests, following a bout of cool weather that has reduced the risk of wildfires, officials said Monday. Starting Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., the province will lift its ban on access to Crown land, parts of which have been scorched in recent weeks by wildfires triggered by drought-like conditions and lightning. “I would like to thank New Brunswickers for their co-operation, for changing their plans for protecting our forests and communities,” Premier Susan Holt said Monday. About two weeks ago, there were 39 active wildfires across the province, and temperatures were close to 40 C with the humidex, said Natural Resources Minister John Herron. But over the past couple of days, temperatures have fallen well into the “very low teens” at night, he said, adding that parts of New Brunswick got rain on Monday, which has helped in firefighting.

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Crews return to Long Lake wildfire’s new front lines after a bad day; financial support set for evacuees

By Aaron Beswick
The Chronicle Herald
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

After a day of terrible setbacks, crews were back at the Long Lake wildfire Monday. Forestry and heavy equipment crews were clearing new fire breaks to replace the old ones that the fire jumped Sunday as it doubled in size to over 7,550 hectares. With damp air promising a bit of rain, wild land crews set up hose lines and put water on the flanks. …crews returned to pumps feeding sprinkler systems around homes and structures in West Dalhousie that they’d been forced to abandon … the day before as strong winds and low humidity fanned the flames into an inferno. “Despite best efforts … that fire responded as we thought it would to the weather yesterday,” said Jim Rudderham, director of fleet and forest protection for the Department of Natural Resources, on Monday afternoon. “That fire stood up and ran away. It’s a lot larger than it was. Many homes were saved. Some were lost.”

Additional coverage from the Government of Nova Scotia: Homes Damaged by Long Lake Wildfires

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Evacuation order expanded as strong winds fan Long Lake wildfire

CBC News
August 24, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

ANNAPOLIS COUNTY, Nova Scotia — An evacuation order was expanded Sunday afternoon and again in the evening as the Long Lake wildfire in Annapolis County continues to grow due to strong winds and high temperatures. An emergency alert Sunday evening said evacuations were being extended to include Highway 10 around Trout, Zwicker and East lakes, Old Liverpool Road, Che-Boag-A-Nish Road and West Dalhousie Road in Albany Cross. Another post by the Department of Natural Resources said the fire remains out of control and growing. It said the fire has crossed West Dalhousie Road at several points, crossed Thorne Road and moved as far as Paradise Lake. …Jim Rudderham, director of fleet and forest protection with Natural Resources, told reporters Sunday afternoon that weather conditions are working against the efforts of firefighters trying to bring the blaze in the West Dalhousie area under control.

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How long will it take to control the Nova Scotia wildfire? Hurricane Erin makes it hard to predict

By Anjuli Patil
CBC News
August 21, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

©NovaScotiaGovernment

Natural resources officials say high winds expected from Hurricane Erin make it difficult to determine how much longer it could take before the out-of-control Long Lake wildfire in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, is considered held. For the third straight day, the wildfire near the community of West Dalhousie was estimated Thursday to be 3,210 hectares or roughly 32 square kilometres. “Obviously with this weather system coming through, we don’t know [what will happen so the fire is] still classed as out of control. We don’t know where the fire is going to go. That’s why it’s not classified as being held yet,” Jim Rudderham, the department’s director of fleet and forest protection, told reporters during an update on Thursday afternoon. Hurricane Erin, which was a Category 2 storm on Thursday, is not expected to make landfall in Nova Scotia — but the province will likely feel its strong winds.

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Firefighting crews tiring as wildfires still burn out of control in New Brunswick

By Katelin Belliveau and Hannah Rudderham
CBC News
August 20, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

There were 20 active fires and five out of control on Wednesday in New Brunswick, according to an update from the province. The province’s fire watch dashboard, however, fluctuates often, depending on the status of the fires at the time. The Beaver Lake Stream fire in Northumberland County is 238 hectares, according to the dashboard, and the Chief’s fire is listed at 218 hectares. The Chief’s fire, in northern New Brunswick, is also listed as a fire of note. A fire of note, according to the government, is one “requiring significant resources or threatening homes or critical infrastructure.” The Oldfield Road fire, which straddles the northern edge of Miramichi, is still listed as a fire of note, despite being contained at 1,403 hectares. …Firefighters and co-ordinators who have been working for weeks have been met with gruelling conditions, and the man leading the strategy on the ground says first responders are tired.

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Paddy’s Pond fire burning near St. John’s is now held

By Elizabeth Whitten
CBC News
August 20, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

The Paddy’s Pond fire near St. John’s that has been burning out of control for a week is now being held. That’s freeing up resources to help fight other out of control wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador, says the provincial fire duty officer. “We’re making some great progress there with [it] being held,” Bryan Oke told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show. “It primarily means the boundaries are being maintained and crews continue to identify and work any hot spots throughout the day.” Oke said the fire is still 318 hectares. Progress fighting the Paddy’s Pond fire has been made in the past few days, with aerial support being pulled and redirected to other out of control wildfires. … The Kingston and Martin Lake fires continue to burn out of control.

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Unhelpful weather conditions add fuel to wildfires in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

The Canadian Press in the Financial Post
August 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

©NovaScotiaGovt

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says the weather is not co-operating in his province’s fight against a major wildfire burning out of control in the Annapolis Valley. “Unfortunately, the weather this weekend was not in our favour. The dry conditions continued. The heat continued. The wind was blowing the wrong way. All terrible news when you’re facing a fire,” Houston told reporters on Monday. Of the six wildfires burning across the province, the Long Lake fire in Annapolis County was causing the most trouble. …Triggered by lightning, the wildfire has grown to more than 32 square kilometres, officials said. Earlier in the day, they had estimated the fire was 20 square kilometres, but improved visibility in the afternoon permitted officials to get a more precise measurement. Officials declared a state of emergency in Annapolis County on Saturday. About 100 homes were evacuated in the heavily wooded West Dalhousie area, about 125 kilometres west of Halifax.

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Long Lake fire doubles again, estimated at 2,000 hectares as it threatens homes

By Ian Fairclough
Saltwire
August 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

©NovaScotiaGovt

NOVA SCOTIA — The Long Lake wildfire continued churning through forest land in Annapolis County on Sunday, reaching almost 2,000 hectares by early evening as additional firefighting crews were called to assist. The fire almost doubled in size from the previous estimate of 1,100 hectares Sunday morning. The call for more help reached to the eastern end of Kings County on Sunday evening as firefighters in Bridgetown called for assistance trying to protect structures. The fire department is working with the Department of Natural Resources, which has overall command of the fire. DNR said Sunday evening that the fire had advanced past Godfrey Lake to the intersection of Fairns and West Dalhousie roads on one side, and to the south side of Spectacle Lake on the other. By then there were more than 100 wildland firefighters from Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island working on the fires, along with 120 volunteer firefighters from southwest Nova Scotia.

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Wildfire in Nova Scotia grows; cooler temperatures help firefighters in Newfoundland

The Canadian Press in City News Halifax
August 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

Officials in Nova Scotia say a wildfire in the western part of the province has grown and could force people out of their homes, while cooler temperatures and low winds have helped firefighters in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Long Lake wildfire is expected to grow, said Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection with Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Department. On Sunday evening, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said the fire had almost doubled in size, growing from 11 square kilometres in the morning to nearly 20 square kilometres. It had spread past Godfrey Lake to the intersection of Fairns and West Dalhousie roads on one side and the south side of Spectacle Lakes on the other, it added. “These are not favourable firefighting conditions,” Tingley told reporters Sunday morning. “It’s very, very dry.” Two contracted helicopters were helping local firefighters along with crews from Prince Edward Island and Ontario, he said.

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100 homes, structures may have been lost to Newfoundland’s largest wildfire: premier

The Chronicle Journal
August 14, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

ST. JOHN’S – Officials say the largest wildfire burning in Newfoundland and Labrador may have destroyed up to 100 homes and structures. However, Premier John Hogan says it is still too dangerous for crews to access the area and make a comprehensive tally of the damage. The fire burning along the northeastern shore of Conception Bay began on Aug. 3 and Hogan says it has grown to more than 80 square kilometres. Jamie Chippett with the Forestry Department says improving weather has helped taming the wildfire near St. John’s, but it is still burning in the ground and considered out of control. Meanwhile, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary say they arrested a 20-year-old man for setting a series of brush fires in downtown St. John’s Tuesday night.

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107 homes evacuated as Long Lake fire continues to burn in Annapolis County

CBC News
August 15, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA –More than one hundred homes have been evacuated as an out of control wildfire near West Dalhousie in Annapolis County continues to burn Friday morning. The fire broke out Wednesday on the north side of Long Lake, about 20 kilometres east of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The provincial Department of Natural Resources has said a lightning strike caused the fire. …The national weather forecaster has issued an air quality statement for Annapolis County and parts of Halifax County, saying smoke from the wildfires is reducing air quality in the area, and that people who are more likely to be impacted by smoke — including pregnant people, infants and young children, people with chronic health conditions and people who work outdoors — should avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

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Flat Fire in Oregon, Update for September 1, 2025

Central Oregon Fire Info
September 1, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

©Govt of Oregon Flickr

SISTERS, Ore.  — The Flat Fire, approximately two miles northeast of Sisters, Oregon, is estimated at 23,346 acres and is 52% contained. Despite critical fire weather, established fire lines have remained secure and suppression repair objectives continue across the incident. The Red Flag Warning is no longer in effect due to a lower chance of strong gusty winds. Hot, dry conditions persist. Today, firefighters will focus on restoring areas impacted by fire response efforts, such as repairing dozer lines and reducing erosion risks. These initiatives strengthen containment and protect the landscape to support long-term recovery. With a unified mission across the fire line, crews continue to make steady progress, bringing the incident closer to full suppression. Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) resources have demobilized from the Flat Fire. Cooperative firefighting efforts from structural, wildland, and air resources protected homes through extreme fire activity and critical weather conditions. 

Related Content in the Register-Guard by Miranda Cyr: Oregon wildfires: Emigrant Fire continues to grow, conditions expected to worsen

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Border Patrol arrests 2 firefighters for being in the country illegally as they battled Washington’s biggest wildfire

By Celina Tebor
CNN
August 28, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Border Patrol agents arrested two firefighters Wednesday – who they say were in the United States illegally – while they were working to contain Washington state’s biggest wildfire. …The Bear Gulch Fire on the peninsula has already torched almost 9,000 acres in the Olympic National Forest. …The human-caused wildfire on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula has been burning since July 6 and was just 13% contained as of Thursday. …Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he is “deeply concerned” about the arrests. Washington Sen. Patty Murray said, “Trump has undercut our wildland firefighting abilities in more ways than one—from decimating the Forest Service and pushing out thousands of critical support staff, to now apparently detaining firefighters on the job.” Under the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security said it would not conduct immigration enforcement “at locations where disaster and emergency response and relief is being provided” such as evacuation routes or areas where emergency supplies are being distributed.

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Firefighters and weather are stabilizing Oregon wildfire. Flames so far spare California wineries

By Tammy Webber
The Associate Press in ABC News
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

A wildfire that destroyed four homes in central Oregon was starting to stabilize on Monday, authorities said, while a blaze in Northern California wine country has so far spared some of the state’s most famous vineyards. Moisture helped the 1,200 firefighters battling Oregon’s Flat Fire, but more work needed to be done. Dry, hot weather had fueled a rapid expansion of the blaze across 34 square miles of rugged terrain in Deschutes and Jefferson counties since the fire began late Thursday. …Officials said firefighters had protective lines of some sort around the entire fire, including roads, but the fire remained at 5% containment. …Meanwhile, the Pickett Fire in Northern California has charred about 10 square miles of remote Napa County, known for its hundreds of wineries. It was 15% contained on Monday. …western United States have been sweltering in a heat wave … with temperatures hitting dangerous levels in Washington, Oregon, Southern California, Nevada and Arizona.

Additional coverage, by Greta Cross in USA Today: Evacuation ordered for California’s Pickett Fire, more than 6,800 acres

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Wildfires threaten homes in Oregon and California, prompting hundreds of evacuations

Associated Press in CNN
August 25, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

©NationalFireCenter

Thousands of homes in Northern California wine country and central Oregon were under evacuation orders and warnings Sunday as firefighting crews battled wildfires in dry, hot weather. The Pickett Fire, which had charred about 10 square miles of Napa County, was just 11% contained by Sunday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. About 150 people were ordered to leave their homes, while another 360 were under evacuation warnings as the fire threatened 500 structures near Aetna Springs and Pope Valley, 80 miles north of San Francisco, said Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay. Some evacuation orders were later lifted. In Oregon, the 29-square-mile Flat Fire in Deschutes and Jefferson counties had about 4,000 homes under various levels of evacuation notice, including 1,000 with orders to leave immediately, according to the state Fire Marshal’s Office.

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Western Wyoming fire explodes to 600 acres, closing Green River Lakes Road and prompting evacuations

By Angus Thuermer
The WyoFile
August 21, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

©KendallValleyLodge

A fast-moving wildfire along the Bridger-Teton National Forest road to Green River Lakes exploded to 600 acres in about four hours Thursday, closing the road and forcing the evacuation of campers in the area. First reported at 2:16 p.m. Thursday, the Dollar Lake Fire quickly sent up a thick column of smoke. Sublette County emergency managers issued an emergency evacuation notice within an hour of the fire’s detection. …Dollar Lake is about eight miles north of the community of Kendall. The evacuation notice appears aimed at campers. …Officials placed restrictions on campfires in the area on Aug. 12.

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One of the tallest trees in the world is burning near the Oregon Coast

By Riley Martinez
Oregon Public Broadcasting
August 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

©Coos FPA

Firefighters from the Coos Forest Protective Association are trying to save one of the world’s tallest Douglas fir trees, a 325-foot behemoth in the Oregon Coast Range known as the Doerner Fir. At 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 16, the association received a call alerting them of the fire on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land east of Coquille, Oregon. Firefighters have set up a containment line with sprinklers to prevent the fire from spreading near the ground. While helicopter teams were able to douse the flames engulfing the canopy above, there’s still a fire burning inside the trunk of the tree about 250 feet up. However, due to fallout from the treetop, the BLM said in a press release Monday that “fire managers have ruled out the possibility of utilizing tree climbing crews to reach the remaining fire activity within the tree.”

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Firefighters push to strengthen containment on Washington Fire

By Alexis Beckman
The Payson Roundup
August 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

PAYSON, Arizona — Crews on the ground and in the air are making progress against the Washington Fire, which had burned an estimated 550 acres about 11 miles north of Payson. The lightning-caused blaze, which started Aug. 13, was 6% contained with nearly 500 personnel assigned as of Sunday. Firefighters are working to keep the fire boxed in between the Highline Trail to the south and Forest Road 300 to the north, while strengthening handlines and contingency lines around threatened communities and cabins. Officials say a combination of dozer work, hose lays, handlines and aerial water drops helped slow the spread and protect structures on the fire’s edge. …Dry, hot weather is expected to challenge suppression efforts in the days ahead, with firefighters also on alert for new starts. …Evacuation orders remain in place for Mountain Ridge Cabins, Washington Park and Shadow Rim Ranch.

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Firefighters make progress against fast-moving blaze along highway north of Los Angeles

The Associated Press in ABC News
August 14, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

GORMAN, California — Firefighters with air support scrambled to control a wind-driven wildfire that erupted Thursday morning in hills along Interstate 5 in northwestern Los Angeles County, officials said. The King Fire, which broke out around 1 a.m., charred nearly a square mile of tinder-dry brush in a lightly populated area about 60 miles north of downtown LA. …The blaze is burning a few miles north of the Canyon Fire, which prompted evacuations, destroyed seven structures and injured three firefighters after breaking out Aug. 7. …The Gifford Fire, California’s largest blaze so far this year, has scorched nearly 207 square miles of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since erupting on Aug. 1. It was 41% contained on Thursday. …Wildfire risk is elevated because Southern California has seen very little rain, drying out vegetation and making it “ripe to burn,” the National Weather Service for Los Angeles warned in a statement last week.

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Spain and Portugal fires kill two more as Spanish troops battle blazes

By Danai Nesta Kupemba
BBC News
August 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Spain has sent 500 more troops to fight raging wildfires, bringing the total deployed to 1,900, as the death toll from the blazes has risen to four. On Sunday, a firefighter died after an accident during firefighting efforts when his truck fell down a steep hill, the Castile and León regional government said. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed “sadness” and “desolation” on X at the latest death. In neighbouring Portugal, where fires are also blazing, another firefighter was killed on Sunday in a “tragic” traffic accident, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said. Fires have also broken out in Greece, France, Turkey and the Balkans as a heatwave has scorched swathes of southern Europe. Several large fires are still burning in the northwest and west of Spain, where 27,000 residents are currently evacuated from their homes.

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Spain deploys 500 more troops to wildfire fight, joining 1,400 already sent

By Barry Hatton
The Associated Press in Global News
August 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Spain is deploying a further 500 soldiers to battle wildfires that have torn through parched woodland during a prolonged spell of scorching weather, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday. The decision to add to the more than 1,400 troops already on wildfire duty came as authorities struggled to contain forest blazes, especially in the northwestern Galicia region, and awaited the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European countries. …Spanish national weather agency said on Saturday, the maximum temperature was 44.7 degrees Celsius in the southern city of Cordoba. …Portugal is set for cooler weather in coming days after a spate of severe woodland fires. …In Turkey, where recent wildfires have killed 19 people, parts of the historic region that includes memorials to World War I’s Gallipoli campaign were evacuated Sunday as blazes threatened homes in the country’s northwest. …Turkey has been struck by hundreds of fires since late June, with record-breaking temperatures.

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At least 3 deaths reported as wildfires get worse across southern Europe

The Associated Press in NBC News
August 13, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

ATHENS — Wildfires intensified across southern Europe on Wednesday with a round-the-clock battle to protect the perimeter of Greece’s third-largest city and at least three deaths reported in Spain, Turkey and Albania. Outside the Greek port city of Patras, firefighters struggled to protect homes and agricultural facilities as flames tore through pine forests and olive groves. Tall columns of flames rose behind apartment blocks on the outskirts of the city. …Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences after the death of a firefighting volunteer in the hard-hit Castile and León region north of the capital, Madrid, where thousands have been displaced by evacuations. In Turkey, a forestry worker was killed Wednesday while responding to a wildfire in a southern region, officials said. The Forestry Ministry said the worker died in an accident involving a fire truck that left four others injured.

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Wildfires fanned by heatwave and strong winds rage across Europe

Reuters
August 13, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

PATRAS, Greece,/MADRID – Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee. Fire has affected nearly 440,000 hectares in the eurozone so far in 2025, double the average for the same period of the year since 2006… Authorities ordered residents of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras to evacuate on Tuesday and issued new alerts on Wednesday, advising residents of two nearby villages to leave. On the Greek islands of Chios, in the east, and Cephalonia, in the west, both popular with tourists, authorities told people to move to safety as fires spread. In Spain, a volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalised as state weather agency AEMET warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire.

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