As wildfires rage in the Prairies, the news headlines are all too familiar.
Fires are burning near Flin Flon, Manitoba, and also in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Residents in affected communities have been evacuated from their homes as crews are working to contain these wildfires.
And far from the affected areas, air quality is poor, affecting those with health concerns and especially those with breathing issues.
A year earlier, much of the community of Jasper, Alta. was destroyed by a wildfire. That fire burned 358 of the 1,113 structures in the resort community.
In late June 2021, much of the community of Lytton, B.C. was burned by a massive wildfire. Much work has been done to rebuild Lytton, and the efforts are impressive. Still, a lot more is needed to restore this community.
And in 2016 — less than a decade ago — a massive wildfire ravaged the community of Fort McMurray, Alta.
The images of Jasper, Lytton and Fort McMurray are still vivid, especially among those familiar with any of these communities. But none of these can be considered anomalies.
Canada’s worst wildfire season on record was in 2023, when wildfires destroyed 184,961 square kilometres, or five per cent of Canada’s forested areas.
That year was also British Columbia’s worst wildfire season on record, resulting in more damage than the second- and third-worst years combined.
The increasing frequency of extreme wildfire seasons is cause for alarm.
Forecasts from Natural Resources Canada suggest increased risks of wildfires in western Canada this summer.
Wildfire safety education and practices can help to reduce the risk of human-caused fires. However, roughly half of wildfires in Canada are the result of lightning strikes rather than human activity.
A 2018 study from the Canadian Journal of Forest Research suggests lightning-caused fires could increase in the future, as a result of climate change.
What is happening cannot be overlooked or ignored.
Summer wildfires are becoming an increasing concern in Canada, and some action is needed to keep future seasons from becoming worse.
— Black Press
