Canada’s wildfire season re-erupts forcing thousands from homes

FORT NELSON, B.C. – The combination of warm temperatures and an ongoing drought have helped fuel several fires in western Canada, which has triggered thousands to leave their homes.

One of the largest fires is burning in British Columbia and is being called the Parker Lake Wildfire. As of Saturday, the blaze had burned nearly 5,000 acres, and firefighters said it was continuing to show extreme behavior due to dry brush and winds.

Local authorities urged the entire town of Fort Nelson to evacuate and use as few vehicles as possible in an effort to conserve fuel in the region about 400 miles east of Juneau, Alaska. 

Wildfires were also reported in nearby Alberta, where thick smoke and poor air qualities were experienced in large parts of the province.

“Conditions in many parts of B.C., and especially in the Prince George Fire Centre (PGFC), are unseasonably dry and more typical of those observed in the late summer. As a result, fuels are more susceptible to ignition and wildfires can spread more quickly,” the British Columbia Wildfire Service said.

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Additionally, authorities were monitoring fires that have rekindled since the historic firestorm of 2023 burned more than 45 million acres.

The latest North America Drought Monitor showed nearly half the country officially in drought conditions, with the driest regions being located in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.

An El Niño regime caused extensive snowfall deficits across much of the country, which has set up regions to possibly have another record-breaking fire season.

“We know from the forecasts that in western and northern Canada, because of a dry winter because of some challenges that are going to be faced, it is likely to be a very bad forest fire season,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said while visiting British Columbia last week.

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Will smoke impact the U.S.?

Even though prevailing winds at times will send smoke towards the Lower 48, forecast models show particles this round do not have the staying that they did last year, likely because of the infancy of the season.

In 2023, hundreds of fires in Canada contributed to some U.S. cities seeing their worst air pollution of all time, creating an orange haze in hazardous conditions.

Some Major League Baseball games were postponed, and local health authorities encouraged residents to wear face masks if they ventured outdoors.

If there are any effects felt over the next couple of weeks, the FOX Forecast Center says they’ll likely be confined to the U.S-Canada border region and not venture far to the south.

As of the weekend, all Air Quality Index monitors from Montana through the Dakotas were in the “good” range; however, “very unhealthy” and even “hazardous” air readings were reported downwind of the fires in Alberta.

Canada’s wildfire season typically begins in May and runs through September, but most blazes are reported in June and July.