Canada's wildfire season has flared back to life, with more than 130 fires burning across the country in early June after an unusually slow start. By the first week of the month, wildland fires had consumed over 113,300 hectares nationwide, a sharp acceleration from late May, when there were 65 active fires and fewer than 19,000 hectares burned.
Prime Minister Mark Carney convened the Incident Response Group, gathering ministers and senior officials to coordinate the federal response as the fires intensified. The fires peaked in May, receded, and have now reignited, a pattern officials say is consistent with forecasts of a volatile season ahead.
Federal authorities have warned that the months ahead carry elevated danger. Above-normal temperatures are forecast across nearly all of Canada for June, July and August, with British Columbia facing what officials describe as the highest and most sustained wildfire risk. Southern Ontario and Quebec are next in line, with the threat expected to be greatest in June.
The early figures, while smaller than the catastrophic totals of recent years, have done little to ease concern. Canada endured a record wildfire season in 2023 and another destructive year since, and emergency planners have cautioned that a hot, dry summer could quickly push 2026 into similar territory.
Officials have urged provinces to ready firefighting crews and equipment, and to prepare for the smoke that has repeatedly degraded air quality in major population centers far from the flames. Wildfire smoke from northern and western fires has already drifted over parts of central Canada, prompting health advisories.
Carney's government has framed wildfire response as a national priority, pointing to investments in monitoring, including satellite tracking, and to coordination with provinces and territories that hold primary responsibility for fighting fires. With the most dangerous stretch of the season still ahead, officials said the focus now is on staying ahead of fast-moving fires before they threaten communities.