Yahoo News Canada's poll of the day: Is Canada's response to the wildfires adequate?
Canada's 2025 wildfire season is rewriting the record books, with the consequences being felt far beyond the country's borders.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires produced dramatic orange skies in major U.S. cities, drifted across the Atlantic to Europe and sparked air quality concerns for millions. Mass evacuations have been forced as drought and heat intensify the blazes which have made this Canadian wildfire season the second-worst on record in the country. Experts have warned this might be the new normal.
Meanwhile, concerns over Canada's wildfire response and whether it can keep up with the changing climate as resources are stretched thin have come to the forefront.
Yahoo News Canada wants to hear from you! Are you satisfied with Canada's current wildfire response? Are you concerned by ongoing extreme weather events?
We want you to have your say.
Canada's wildfire response so far
The 2025 wildfire season is already Canada's second-worst on record, with more than 7.3 million hectares burned and over 470 fires still out of control.
As part of efforts to bolster stretched local crews and help control the wildfires, hundreds of international firefighters from the U.S., Australia, France and South Africa have been flown in by Canada. The Canadian armed Forces have also been deployed to assist with evacuations, logistical support and community protection measures.
Efforts to tame the blazes have also included aerial suppression, which, authorities warn, at times can be thwarted by public interference: Drones flown too close to active wildfires have forced the water-bombing aircraft to be grounded.
Drought and record-breaking dry spell
Severe drought on the east coast made the tinderbox conditions more severe. Toronto recorded its driest July on record this summer, with weeks of no meaningful rainfall.
Meteorologists say prolonged lack of precipitation with low humidity and extreme heat primed forests and grasslands to ignite and spread fire rapidly.
Scientists say climate change is amplifying fire risks as droughts deepen and smoke impacts continents — making Canada's wildfire fight both a domestic emergency and a global concern.
Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, told CBC News the 2025 fire season quickly ballooned due to dry conditions across Canada, making this our second worst wildfire season on record, and, given the intensity, our new normal.
"Maybe every year's going to be a bad fire year now."
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