2023 Canadian wildfires

Climatic and environmental context

The 2023 wildfire season occurred within a long-term trend of increasing fire severity in Canada linked to climate change. Since the 1970s, while the total annual number of wildfires has decreased, the total area burned has increased significantly. The average fire season has lengthened by about two weeks since 1959. The conditions for the 2023 season were primed by temperatures from May to October that were 2.2 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991 to 2020 average. This warmer, drier weather contributed to drought and desiccated vegetation, making forests more flammable. In Western Canada, a drought from 2022 persisted alongside low winter snowpack, while Nova Scotia and Quebec experienced flash droughts due to high temperatures and rapid drying despite normal initial soil moisture. Scientific analysis by World Weather Attribution found climate change made the fire weather in Quebec twice as likely and twenty percent more intense, while making the unusually long nationwide fire season five times more likely.

Forest management practices have also played a role in wildfire risk. A historical focus on fire suppression has led to an accumulation of dry vegetation on forest floors. The widespread cessation of controlled burns, a practice historically performed by Indigenous groups, has removed a key tool for reducing fuel loads and mitigating the risk of larger, more dangerous fires. Canada lacks a national firefighting service, relying instead on local resources that are often stretched thin, particularly during concurrent major fire events across the country. These systemic factors combined with the extreme climatic conditions to create an unprecedented wildfire scenario.

Causes and ignition sources

Wildfires in Canada are ignited by both natural and human causes, with lightning being responsible for the vast majority of the area burned. Roughly half of all wildfires are caused by lightning, but these fires account for about eighty-five percent of the total land burned because they often occur in clusters in remote, difficult-to-access locations. Climate change is increasing the frequency of lightning-caused fires, and lightning strikes are projected to double in Canada by the end of the century. The other half of wildfires are human-caused, typically through unintentional means such as discarded cigarette butts, abandoned campfires, sparks from trains or vehicles, and land-clearing activities. While false claims of arson circulated on social media, arson is generally a minor cause of wildfires in Canada. In Nova Scotia, where human activity causes about ninety-seven percent of fires, specific incidents highlighted this risk. The Tantallon area fire was started by a resident burning yard debris despite warnings, and the Shelburne area fire was ignited by individuals lighting tires on fire.

Major provincial and territorial fires

The wildfire season intensified across multiple regions simultaneously, straining national and international firefighting resources. Alberta was the first province heavily impacted, declaring a provincial state of emergency on May 6. The season's largest fire in Alberta was the Long Lake Fire (HWF-036), which burned 108,402 hectares, threatened the community of Chateh, and surrounded Rainbow Lake. Another significant fire, the Paskwa Fire (HWF-030), burned 35,285 hectares within the community of Fox Lake, destroying over one hundred structures. The Donnie Creek wildfire became the largest single fire in the province's history, burning over 5,648 square kilometres. In August, the Bush Creek East and McDougall Creek wildfires in the southern Interior caused extensive property damage and forced major evacuations, resulting in 730 million dollars in insured damages, the costliest extreme weather event in BC's history.

Quebec was particularly hard hit, experiencing more frequent fires than in past seasons and ultimately seeing the most area burned of any province at 5.2 million hectares. The province reported 446 fires by June 10, far above the average of 212 for that date. In Nova Scotia, the province saw the largest wildfires in its recorded history. The Barrington Lake fire in Shelburne County burned approximately 23,015 hectares, destroying between thirty and forty structures and displacing around 5,000 people. The Tantallon wildfire near Halifax burned 950 hectares, destroyed approximately 151 homes, and led to the evacuation of 16,400 people. The Northwest Territories faced a major crisis in August, with over 230 wildfires burning. By August 17, fires were within seventeen kilometres of the capital, Yellowknife, prompting a full evacuation order and cutting off telecommunications in the South Slave Region.

Evacuations and displacement

The scale of the wildfires necessitated one of the largest peacetime evacuations in Canadian history. Estimates of the number of people displaced range from 185,000 to 232,000. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimated 185,000 displacements, representing forty-three percent of global wildfire-related displacements for 2023. Major evacuation centres were established in multiple provinces. In Alberta, over 29,000 people were evacuated by early May, leading to the deployment of at least 300 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to assist. The community of Fox Lake was fully evacuated by May 5. In British Columbia, nearly 30,000 residents were evacuated from the Kelowna and West Kelowna areas during the August fires. The evacuation of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories in mid-August displaced 21,720 residents. In Nova Scotia, 16,400 people were evacuated from the Halifax area due to the Tantallon fire, and approximately 5,000 were displaced by the Barrington Lake fire. These evacuations placed immense strain on host communities and emergency support systems, with many evacuees unable to return home for extended periods.

Smoke and air quality impacts

The massive smoke plumes generated by the wildfires had profound and far-reaching impacts on air quality across North America and beyond. In Canada, major urban centres repeatedly experienced hazardous air conditions. In early June, smoke caused air quality in Ottawa, Toronto, and most of southern Ontario to hit the highest level on Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index. This pattern repeated in late June, forcing cancellations of outdoor events like the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. On June 25, Montreal registered the worst air quality in the world due to the smoke, leading to widespread cancellations of cultural and sporting events. Toronto's air quality also ranked among the worst globally on June 28. The smoke did not remain confined to Canada. It drifted south into the United States, triggering air quality alerts and health advisories across the Midwest and Northeast. By late June, the smoke had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reaching Europe and demonstrating the transcontinental reach of the event. Exposure to this smoke has been linked to increased emergency healthcare visits for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

National and international response

The unprecedented scale of the fires overwhelmed provincial and territorial firefighting capacities, necessitating a massive coordinated response. Thousands of international firefighters from countries including the United States, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Portugal, Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico travelled to Canada to assist. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre coordinated this international aid. Domestically, the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to assist with firefighting, logistics, and evacuation support in several provinces, including Alberta and Nova Scotia. The federal government provided financial assistance through programs like the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements. The season also highlighted critical gaps in national wildfire preparedness, including the lack of a national firefighting service and the challenges of managing concurrent major fire events across the country. The reliance on international aid underscored the need for increased domestic capacity and resource sharing agreements.

Ecological and carbon emissions impact

The 2023 wildfires had a significant and immediate impact on Canada's boreal forest ecosystem and the global carbon cycle. This is more than six times the long-term average area burned for a season. The fires released enormous quantities of stored carbon into the atmosphere. By late August, wildfires in the Northwest Territories alone had produced an estimated 97 megatonnes of carbon, accounting for roughly one-fourth of the total 327 megatonnes produced by Canada's wildfires in 2023. This created a dangerous feedback loop, where climate change worsens wildfires, and wildfires in turn release more greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change. The destruction of such vast forested areas also affects wildlife habitats, watersheds, and soil stability, with long-term ecological consequences that will take decades or centuries to recover.

Aftermath and historical context

The 2023 wildfire season ended as the most destructive in Canadian history, a record that was underscored when 2024 and 2025 also proved to be severe seasons. The fires formally subsided by winter, though some in northern Alberta and British Columbia continued to smoulder in peat, reigniting in February 2024 and contributing to the early start of that year's fire season. The 2023 season set a new benchmark for severity, burning more than double the area of the previous record. It demonstrated that extreme fire seasons are becoming the new normal in a warming climate. The event prompted increased national discussion on forest management reform, the revitalization of Indigenous-led cultural burning practices, and the urgent need for climate change mitigation. The season's major fires in British Columbia were later featured in a 2025 documentary series on the Knowledge Network. The legacy of the 2023 fires is a stark reminder of Canada's vulnerability to climate-fuelled disasters and the critical need for enhanced adaptation and preparedness strategies.

Questions about 2023 Canadian wildfires

What made the 2023 wildfire season so extreme?

The 2023 season was driven primarily by anthropogenic climate change, which created warmer and drier conditions across Canada. Temperatures from May to October were 2.2 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991 to 2020 average, leading to widespread drought and dry vegetation. Climate change made the fire weather in regions like Quebec twice as likely and twenty percent more intense. A persistent drought in Western Canada and flash droughts in the east, combined with historical forest management practices that suppressed natural fire cycles, created unprecedented conditions for rapid and extensive fire growth.

How many people were evacuated due to the 2023 wildfires?

Estimates vary between 185,000 and 232,000 people displaced by the wildfires. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre placed the figure at 185,000, which represented forty-three percent of all global wildfire-related displacements for 2023. Major evacuations occurred in Nova Scotia's Halifax area (16,400 people), the Northwest Territories' Yellowknife (21,720), British Columbia's Kelowna region (nearly 30,000), and numerous communities in Alberta (over 29,000). These were some of the largest peacetime evacuations in Canadian history.

Are wildfires getting worse in Canada due to climate change?

Yes, scientific evidence clearly links worsening wildfire seasons to human-caused climate change. Canada is warming at twice the global average rate, leading to hotter, drier conditions that increase fire risk. The 2023 season was the worst on record, with 2024 and 2025 also ranking among the most severe. Climate change increases the frequency of lightning (a major fire starter), lengthens the fire season, and creates more intense fire weather. This trend is expected to continue as global temperatures rise.

Did the wildfire smoke really reach Europe?

Yes, smoke emitted from the 2023 Canadian wildfires crossed the Atlantic Ocean and reached Europe in late June. This transatlantic travel of smoke occurred as part of a record-setting series of wildfires that affected all 13 provinces and territories. The smoke had previously caused significant air quality alerts and evacuations across Canada and the United States. Many of the largest fires, including those that funneled smoke into the Eastern Seaboard, were under control by July. However, significant fire activity continued into the fall, with smoke dispersion being a major continental and international impact of the season.

What was the largest wildfire in 2023?

The single largest recorded wildfire was the Donnie Creek wildfire in northeastern British Columbia, which became the largest in that province's history, burning over 5,648 square kilometres. In Alberta, the largest fire was the Long Lake Fire (HWF-036) with an active burning area of 108,402 hectares. At the provincial level, Quebec saw the greatest total area burned at 5.2 million hectares. The 2023 wildfire season set a national record for the most area burned in Canada's recorded history, surpassing previous records from 1989, 1995, and 2014. The total area burnt nationally was more than 2.5 times the previous record.

How much did the 2023 wildfires cost?

The insured damages from two concurrent fires in British Columbia, the Bush Creek East and McDougall Creek wildfires, reached 730 million dollars, ranking as the most costly extreme weather event in the province's history. These fires occurred in August in the southern Interior region and caused heavy damage to structures while forcing major evacuations. The overall national cost encompassed far more than insured damages, including firefighting resources and displacement. Thousands of international firefighters travelled to Canada to combat the blazes, and eight firefighters were killed during the season. The fires also displaced between 185,000 and 232,000 people across the country.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Your Space Hamilton desk. Last updated 2026-10-22.