Canada is now grappling with its second-worst wildfire season ever recorded, with an unprecedented scale of destruction reshaping both national preparedness and response strategies. In recent months, more than 7.3 million hectares have been consumed by flames—nearly 78 percent above the five-year average—while over 470 fires remain out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Traditionally, the majority of Canada’s wildfires ignite in its western provinces. This year, second-worst wildfire season, however, the Prairies and Atlantic Canada have borne the brunt of the blazes. Saskatchewan and Manitoba alone account for roughly 60 percent of the total area burned, with tens of thousands of residents evacuated from their homes. Fire activity has even erupted in regions like Ontario’s Kawartha Lakes—less than 161 km north of Toronto—a popular summer getaway area now engulfed in fire danger.
In the eastern provinces, officials have taken unprecedented steps to curb risks for the second-worst wildfire season. Newfoundland and Labrador, overwhelmed by fires, imposed a province-wide ban on off-road vehicles in forested areas. Nova Scotia shut down hiking, camping, and fishing across its forests, citing that nearly all recent fires were human-caused. “Conditions are really dry, there’s no rain in sight—the risk is extremely high,” warned Nova Scotia’s premier, urging citizens to “pray for rain” as the province scrambles for relief.
The scale beyond the Prairies is staggering: 6.6 million hectares have burned so far in 2025—140 percent more than the same period in 2024—with over two-thirds of more than 700 active fires still out of control. Hazardous smoke has drifted across national borders, prompting air quality alerts in Canadian cities from Toronto to Montreal and even major U.S. metros like Detroit. Some of these urban areas briefly ranked among the most polluted cities globally.
National preparedness remains at its most critical level. The Canadian Preparedness Level stands at 5—the highest possible—signifying full allocation of resources and heavy reliance on international aid. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are at agency level 5, Newfoundland and Labrador at 4, with British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Parks Canada at level 3. With resources stretched thin, Canada continues to mobilize not only domestic teams but also international firefighting personnel and equipment to assist crisis zones.
Climate experts attribute this season’s severity to a convergence of extreme conditions: soaring temperatures, persistent drought, low snowpack, and even unusual ignition sources like lightning—and, bizarrely, in one instance, a fish dropped on a power line by an osprey. These conditions have broadened the geographic range of fire risk and stretched emergency response frameworks to their limits.
The scale of the disaster is striking: some reports estimate Canada’s burned area at approximately 72,000 km²—roughly the size of New Brunswick—and trailing only behind the 2023 record season . The intensity of the wildfires is emblematic of a changing climate where such catastrophes could become increasingly normalized unless mitigation and adaptation efforts intensify.
In summary, the 2025 wildfire season in Canada has become a defining climate crisis moment—second only to the unprecedented 2023 season—in both scale and consequence. The geographic shift of fire activity, widespread evacuations, air quality impacts across nations, and the sheer breadth of mobilization efforts underscore a new wildfire reality. As officials, experts, and communities brace for continuing threats, the urgent need for climate adaptation, policy reform, and resilient infrastructure has never been clearer.
