2023 Canadian wildfires: Difference between revisions

Ongoing wildfires in North America that have caused international impact

Beginning in March 2023, and with increased intensity starting in June, Canada has been affected by an ongoing, record-setting series of wildfires. All 13 provinces and territories have been affected, with large fires in Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec. The 2023 wildfire season had seen the most area burned in Canada’s recorded history, surpassing the 1989, 1995, and 2014 fire seasons,^[4][2] as well as in recorded North American history, surpassing the 2020 Western US wildfire season.^[5][6]

As of September 4, 6,154 fires had burned 164,414 square kilometres (63,481 sq mi; 40,628,000 acres),^[2] about five percent of the entire forest area of Canada^[7] and more than six times the long-term average of 2.65 million ha (6.5 million acres) for that time of the year.^[1] On September 4 there were 1,078 wildfires active, and 707 of those were deemed “out of control”.^[8] International aid has helped reduce the impact of the fires.^[9][10]

Smoke emitted from the wildfires has caused air quality alerts and evacuations in Canada and the United States.^[11] In late June it crossed the Atlantic, reaching Europe.^[12][13]

Background[edit]

Wildfires are changing in Canada: in general, since the 1970s and 1980s, the total annual number of wildfires has decreased but the area burned in Canada has increased.^[14] Since 1959, the number of large fires greater than 200 ha (490 acres) has increased and the average fire season has become longer by about two weeks.^[15] In Canada, wildfire season usually starts in May.^[16] The 2023 fires have been compared to the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire^[17][18] and the 2021 Lytton wildfire.^[19]

Due to climate change, weather has been warmer and drier, raising wildfire risk as vegetation is more flammable under these conditions.^{[14][20][21][19]} Wind from a passing cold front during the week of May 18 exacerbated the fire risk.^[19] Canadian Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair said: “These conditions, this early in the season, are unprecedented. Due to climate change, similar extreme weather events may continue to increase in both frequency and severity across our country.”^[22] Following the Quebec wildfires, an analysis by World Weather Attribution showed that in Quebec, because of climate change, fire weather is twice as likely to occur and 20% more intense.^[23] The 2023 Western North America heat wave exacerbated the wildfires in Alberta.^[24][25]

Forest management is also a factor in the wildfires. Because Canada’s forest management has focused on fire suppression, dry vegetation has accumulated on the forest floor.^[26] Canada has generally stopped performing controlled burns, which help reduce the risk of larger and more dangerous fires.^[27][28] It is difficult to get permission for controlled burns, especially for Indigenous groups who have historically performed them and are disproportionately affected by wildfires.^[29][30] Canada lacks a national firefighting service, and local resources are stretched thin due to budget cuts.^[30]

Roughly half of all wildfires in Canada are caused by lightning; due to climate change, lightning-caused fires are happening more frequently, and lightning strikes are expected to double by the end of the century.^[14][31][32] Lightning-caused fires account for about 85% of land burned.^[33][34] Lightning-caused fires often happen in clusters in remote locations.^[35] The other half of wildfires in Canada are human-caused, often unintentionally sparked^[36][37] by things such as discarded cigarette butts,^[33] abandoned smouldering campfires,^[38] sparks from braking trains, off road vehicles, and land clearing activities.^[37] While false claims of arson have gained traction on social media, arson is generally a minor cause of wildfires in Canada.^[39][40]

Pollution due to a global increase in wildfires has created widespread, long-term impacts on human health.^[41] Due to wildfire emissions, Canada broke its record for annual carbon emissions in late June,^[42] and had produced a total of 327 megatonnes of carbon by late August.^[43]

Wildfires[edit]

Alberta[edit]

In May, Alberta was the province most impacted by wildfires.^[16][44] The causes of fires are generally unknown.^[33] On May 6, the province of Alberta declared a provincial state of emergency.^[45][46] By May 7, 108 active fires were burning in the province.^[47] The provincial state of emergency ended on June 3.^[48] As of June 7, the province said there had been 591 reported wildfires in the province since March.^[49]

High Level Forest Area[edit]

Two fires that were out of control in the High Level Forest Area were active on 15 May.^[50]

HWF-036, named the Long Lake Fire, is a rapidly growing fire classified as out of control. It is the largest fire in the province during the 2023 wildfire season, currently having an…