Salmon have long adapted to wildfires by spawning in parts of rivers untouched by the fires. But the extreme wildfires are leaving fewer islands of habitat intact, making it impossible for the fish to lay their eggs. Now, wild salmon are facing a growing threat from the proliferation of hotter, larger fires, and fisheries experts warn more needs to be done to ensure they aren’t wiped out. …With climate change poised to exacerbate the number of large, intense wildfires in decades to come, Jason Hwang, chief program officer and vice president of the Pacific Salmon Foundation said compiling existing information about how to help salmon thrive could be useful to people trying to restore burned land. The goal is not to tell people what they should do; the intent is to help them decide how best to include salmon in their restoration work.

The company tasked with reviewing the City of Yellowknife’s response to last summer’s wildfires has released its report. KPMG’s Leon Gaber said a main finding was a lack of clarity over how roles and responsibilities were divided between the city and other agencies. “That’s a really important finding that I think is really critical to address,” he said. “It will really help, I think, the city and the territory writ large with respect to being more prepared, being more effective in a future evacuation or significant response.” Overall, KPMG identified 19 key strengths in the city’s emergency response and made 26 recommendations to address 35 areas for improvement. Strengths highlighted in the report include the use of a local state of emergency to re-allocate resources to wildfire protection efforts, and the way public communication about the re-entry plan was better coordinated compared to communication about the evacuation process.

Sweltering conditions from a heat wave gripping Western Canada will present challenging conditions for firefighters in northern Alberta on Tuesday. Wildfire danger warnings spread across Alberta over the weekend with extreme temperatures and out-of-control fires in the northern areas of the province. The wildfire danger level is very high in the Fort McMurray forest area, where at least one out-of-control fire continues to spread. …No evacuation orders have been declared as of 10 p.m. MT Monday. Wildfire officials forecast a southwest wind of 15 km/h Tuesday, with winds expected to shift south in the afternoon at 20 km/h. Temperatures in northern Alberta are expected to climb to between 30 and 35 C and will persist until at least midweek, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.  Several wildfires in the area were caused by lightning, all but are under control as of Monday evening. 

…Cache Creek was a hot spot on Sunday, with a daily high of 40.3 C, breaking the record of 36.9 set in 2015. It was one of almost two dozen records reset for July 7 in the province, and the hot spell continued with 46 heat alerts issued across B.C. by noon on Monday. The heat has also raised concerns about wildfire risks and the forecast calls for dry lightning in the southern Interior on Tuesday and Wednesday. Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said they’re working with the BC Wildfire Service on the locations where they have the most concern for wildfires. The BC Wildfire Service said Monday the hot, dry conditions increase the potential for wildfire and the new weather pattern expected mid-week will bring high winds and thunderstorms, with dry lightning strikes. …Environment Canada says the heat wave is expected to persist until about mid-week.