Wildfire season in Canada has historically spanned from late April to August—with the most damaging of these fires typically burning in June and July. But in recent years, we’ve seen a significant change in when wildfires burn; they are no longer a seasonal phenomenon.
For example, in 2024, Alberta’s wildfire season started in February due to the province’s warm and dry conditions. Québec recorded its fourth earliest wildfire since 1973 in mid-March of the same year. British Columbia then reported their first wildfires of the season shortly after.
In 2023, Canada had one of its most catastrophic wildfire years—with over 18.4 million hectares of forest burned. These wildfires caused approximately 232,000 people to be evacuated from their homes in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Québec.
The huge number of wildfires that burned in 2023 released more than three times the total CO2 emissions of Canada’s entire transportation sector produces in a year. This catastrophic wildfire season also started burning far earlier than normal.
Drought can act as a key accelerating factor. Droughts not only dry vegetation—which gives wildfires more fuel—they also prolong hot, dry and windy weather. This further creates a high-risk environment for wildfires to ignite and spread.
At the end of 2024, 43% of Canada was classified as abnormally dry or in moderate to extreme drought. About 35% of the country’s agricultural land was directly impacted.
During 2023, there was a strong link between soil moisture levels measured between May and October and wildfire activity. Areas with the lowest soil moisture levels experienced heightened wildfire activity. This underscores the critical role of drought conditions in amplifying wildfire risks.