2025 wildfire season one of the worst on record, and it's not over yet: government

Global News

18-07-2025

The Canadian wildfire season continues with twice the area burned so far this year compared to the average for the past decade, according to the latest technical briefing from the Government of Canada.
And it's expected to continue through September.
Hot temperatures combined with dry conditions have led to one of the most severe wildfire seasons on record, the report said, and western Canada has been 'disproportionately' impacted, with the region having the most area burned so far.
The fires have led to multiple air quality warnings issued throughout parts of the country.
How bad are the wildfires in 2025?
The National Preparedness Level classifies the amount of national resources committed to an area, as well as the demand for interagency resources through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), according to Natural Resources Canada.
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As of July 18, the National Preparedness Level is at 5, the highest on the scale. Specifically, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are at Level 5, while most other provinces and territories are at Level 3.
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Currently, there are 561 active wildfires in Canada, compared to 544 on July 17, with 69 considered 'Out of Control,' the report says.
Although Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory have recorded the most fires so far in 2025, British Columbia and Alberta currently have the highest number of fires with a 'Full Response.'
And more than 5.5 million hectares have been burned since the start of January through to July 18 — more than double the 10-year average of 2.12 million.
The report says higher than normal temperatures and below average rainfall may be key factors that have contributed to the intense and frequent wildfires in regions most impacted.
In the period from July 2024 to June 2025, temperatures were higher than normal across most of Canada, while B.C. saw close to normal values. In the month of June 2025, regions along the U.S. border were reported as having above normal temperatures.
Drought conditions were seen consistently across Canada over the past 12 months, and this has been the case for more than two years, the briefing says. Meanwhile, from April to June of 2025, 'significantly lower than normal' rainfall was seen from B.C across to northwestern Ontario.
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Eastern regions saw higher than normal precipitation levels from April to June of 2025.
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Air quality alerts issued as wildfire smoke sweeps across central Canada
Will the situation improve later this season?
At the end of June, Environment and Climate Change Canada projected a high probability of above normal temperatures for 'nearly all Canadian regions,' from July to September. Precipitation levels, too, are forecasted to be below normal for B.C. and the Prairies.
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More immediately, the rest of July is expected to continue seeing an elevated fire danger throughout western Canada, with the highest fire danger focused on the southern part of Northwest Territories due to ongoing dry conditions.
In August, above average summer temperatures are expected to continue for most of Canada, the report says, with most of eastern Canada expected to see more rainfall, and likely a lower wildfire risk overall.
B.C. is expected to have the highest fire danger in August, which is somewhat consistent compared to previous reports.