Wildfires

Retardant is shown being dropped from a plane on the Knox Mountain fire in Kelowna on Canada Day. B.C. Wildfire Service operations director Cliff Chapman said the call centre received more than 1,000 calls over the long weekend to report 46 new fires, which resulted in 35 of those being held or out. (Submitted)

B.C. Wildfire Service applauds the 1,000 calls to report 46 new fires

Over the long weekend, 35 of those fires were held or out because of the reporting

Retardant is shown being dropped from a plane on the Knox Mountain fire in Kelowna on Canada Day. B.C. Wildfire Service operations director Cliff Chapman said the call centre received more than 1,000 calls over the long weekend to report 46 new fires, which resulted in 35 of those being held or out. (Submitted)
A fire near the Tumbler Ridge area in June 2023. The community was evacuated due to the wildfire. (BC Wildfire Service)

1 million hectares burned in B.C. as wildfire season just getting started

Province already having its third worst fire season on record as July set to get drier and hotter

A fire near the Tumbler Ridge area in June 2023. The community was evacuated due to the wildfire. (BC Wildfire Service)
The Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. is seen amid haze from wildfire smoke as Dani Gibbons, left, and Hailey Mckeown sit along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, on Monday, June 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Fire centre declares 2023 already worst year ever for Canadian wildfires

It took less than six months to surpass the previous record for an entire year

The Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. is seen amid haze from wildfire smoke as Dani Gibbons, left, and Hailey Mckeown sit along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, on Monday, June 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The skyline of Montreal is obscured by a haze of smog, Sunday, June 25, 2023. Smoke from the wildfires burning across northern Quebec is grounding the province’s water bombers and causing widespread smog warnings futher south. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Quebec wildfire smoke causes widespread smog, grounds some water bombers

Heavy rain and some wind pending, which should allow operations to resume ‘almost normally’

The skyline of Montreal is obscured by a haze of smog, Sunday, June 25, 2023. Smoke from the wildfires burning across northern Quebec is grounding the province’s water bombers and causing widespread smog warnings futher south. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Extension fire department battled a blaze detected near its fire hall on Bramley Road on June 23. (News Bulletin file photo)

Rural firefighters stop fire threatening Extension, south of Nanaimo

Fire detected 500 metres southwest of Extension department fire hall June 23

Extension fire department battled a blaze detected near its fire hall on Bramley Road on June 23. (News Bulletin file photo)
Extension fire department battled a blaze detected near its fire hall on Bramley Road on June 23. (News Bulletin file photo)

Rural firefighters stop fire threatening Extension, south of Nanaimo

Fire detected 500 metres southwest of Extension department fire hall June 23

Extension fire department battled a blaze detected near its fire hall on Bramley Road on June 23. (News Bulletin file photo)
Hunter Sousa, 18, from Maine, poses for a photo after arriving in Shubenacadie, N.S., on Saturday, June 3, 2023, to assist with fighting wildfires in Nova Scotia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark

Foreign firefighters fight flames and fatigue, get ‘eaten alive’ by mosquitoes

Trip to Canada gives front-row view to infernos of a magnitude few of them had ever seen

Hunter Sousa, 18, from Maine, poses for a photo after arriving in Shubenacadie, N.S., on Saturday, June 3, 2023, to assist with fighting wildfires in Nova Scotia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark
Fiona Famulak, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, says the growing frequency of natural disasters like wildfires requires new forms of government assistance for business. (Photo courtesy of BC Wildfire Service)

B.C. Chamber CEO calls for urgent reforms to disaster assistance programs

Plans for helping businesses following natural disasters ‘developed for a different time’

Fiona Famulak, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, says the growing frequency of natural disasters like wildfires requires new forms of government assistance for business. (Photo courtesy of BC Wildfire Service)
The Donnie Creek wildfire near Trutch, B.C. is shown in a handout photo. More than 200 wildfires are still burning out of control in Canada this morning as the country’s record-setting forest fire season continues to raze thousands of square kilometres every day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Facebook-BC Wildfire Service

Fire situation eases slightly, but risks remain as more than 400 wildfires still burn

207 of 420 fires burning in Canada are still considered to be out of control

The Donnie Creek wildfire near Trutch, B.C. is shown in a handout photo. More than 200 wildfires are still burning out of control in Canada this morning as the country’s record-setting forest fire season continues to raze thousands of square kilometres every day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Facebook-BC Wildfire Service
In this aerial image, an aircraft, centre, flies near a wildfire burning near Barrington Lake in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Communications Nova Scotia **MANDATORY CREDIT**

Wildfire in southern N.S. occurred amid some of driest recorded conditions: scientist

The fire forced 6,000 evacuations and destroyed 60 houses and cottages

In this aerial image, an aircraft, centre, flies near a wildfire burning near Barrington Lake in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Communications Nova Scotia **MANDATORY CREDIT**
An evacuation order has been lifted for the community of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., nine days after more than 2,000 residents were forced out by an encroaching wildfire. The West Kiskatinaw River wildfire (G70645) in the District of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., is shown in this handout image provided by the BC Wildfire Service, Thursday, June 8, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, BC Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT*

U.S. deploys high-tech Pentagon program to help Canada detect, suppress new wildfires

The White House says the FireGuard system uses real-time data from drones and satellites

An evacuation order has been lifted for the community of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., nine days after more than 2,000 residents were forced out by an encroaching wildfire. The West Kiskatinaw River wildfire (G70645) in the District of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., is shown in this handout image provided by the BC Wildfire Service, Thursday, June 8, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, BC Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT*
A pyrocumulus cloud, also known as a fire cloud, rises in the mountains above Lytton, B.C., on Sunday, Aug.15, 2021. Almost two years after it was first declared, the Village of Lytton has voted to end its State of Local Emergency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Lytton to end state of local emergency 2 years after devastating fire

Village has been renewing the declaration since June 30, 2021

A pyrocumulus cloud, also known as a fire cloud, rises in the mountains above Lytton, B.C., on Sunday, Aug.15, 2021. Almost two years after it was first declared, the Village of Lytton has voted to end its State of Local Emergency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Timmy Masso and Hjalmer Wenstob hose down a bridge that caught fire at Kennedy Lake. (Jessie Masso photo)

Tla-o-qui-aht family frustrated by lack of response to fire at Kennedy Lake

Timmy Masso and Hjalmer Wenstob help extinguish flames at bridge between Tofino and Ucluelet

Timmy Masso and Hjalmer Wenstob hose down a bridge that caught fire at Kennedy Lake. (Jessie Masso photo)
(Black Press Media Creative)

Your garden doesn’t like the wildfires, either. Here’s how to help plants handle smoke and ash

Smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada drove down air quality…

(Black Press Media Creative)
Firefighters from the Northeastern United States help load a truck with supplies in Shubenacadie, N.S., on Saturday, June 3, 2023, to assist with fighting wildfires in Nova Scotia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark

Nearly 350 firefighters from the EU will help battle relentless Canadian wildfires

Crews from Portugal and Spain on their way to augment forces already here from France

Firefighters from the Northeastern United States help load a truck with supplies in Shubenacadie, N.S., on Saturday, June 3, 2023, to assist with fighting wildfires in Nova Scotia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark
Hotspots continue to smoulder in a forest scorched by wildfire in Normetal, Que., in a June 11, 2023, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Caroline Boyaud

Wildfire roundup: What you need to know about blazes burning across Canada

Crews continue to battle hotspots as country endures ‘unprecedented’ season

Hotspots continue to smoulder in a forest scorched by wildfire in Normetal, Que., in a June 11, 2023, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Caroline Boyaud
A firefighter directs water on a grass fire burning on an acreage behind a residential property in Kamloops, B.C., Monday, June 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

From hoses and shovels to water bombers: How wildfires are being fought across Canada

In drier places, such as British Columbia, there’s a greater use of fire retardant

A firefighter directs water on a grass fire burning on an acreage behind a residential property in Kamloops, B.C., Monday, June 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
In Vancouver, Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma, left, looks on as BC Wildfire Service operations director Cliff Chapman speaks over Zoom June 8, 2023 in an update about the province’s wildfire situation. (Lauren Collins)

B.C. might need to ‘dig deep’ into its own resources for fighting wildfires this year

Province has multiple requests in for support already

In Vancouver, Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma, left, looks on as BC Wildfire Service operations director Cliff Chapman speaks over Zoom June 8, 2023 in an update about the province’s wildfire situation. (Lauren Collins)
A woman walks her dog along the Ottawa River in Ottawa as smoke from wildfires obscures Gatineau, Que., in the distance on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada marks Clean Air Day with worst air quality in the world as wildfires rage

The eastern U.S. is also seeing devastating effects from wildfire smoke drifting south

A woman walks her dog along the Ottawa River in Ottawa as smoke from wildfires obscures Gatineau, Que., in the distance on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Quebec Premier Francois Legault checks the map where forest fires are raging as he visits the crisis operation centre, in Quebec City, Monday, June 5, 2023. Legault is visiting the community of Sept-Iles, meeting civil security officials and forest firefighter teams. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

‘A situation that’s unprecedented.’ Quebec confronted with over 150 wildfires

More than 110 are deemed out of control

Quebec Premier Francois Legault checks the map where forest fires are raging as he visits the crisis operation centre, in Quebec City, Monday, June 5, 2023. Legault is visiting the community of Sept-Iles, meeting civil security officials and forest firefighter teams. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot