Canada's 2026 Wildfire Season on Track to Be Fourth Worst on Record

Canada's 2026 wildfire season is shaping up to be the fourth worst on record, according to the federal government, with 4,793 fires having burned 4.1 million hectares as of the government's August 19 media release The Globe and Mail.

There were 582 active wildfires nationally, including 31 classified as out of control. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre's National Fire Situation Report dated August 18, 2026 listed 23 new fires that day and 4,810 fires year-to-date, with 4.1 million hectares burned CIFFC. Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wildland Fire Information System reported a comparable 4,780 wildfires and 4,115,558 hectares burned CWFIS.

CIFFC has set the National Preparedness Level to 5, its highest tier. That designation means significant wildland fire activity is underway in one or more jurisdictions, firefighters and equipment in every jurisdiction are committed, and international assistance has been requested. The escalation through the season is visible in CIFFC's situation reports: a May 25 report assessed the potential for emerging significant wildland fires as minimal; by July 15, resource demands were expected to continue or increase; and by July 25, that potential was high and expected to remain high in multiple geographic areas CIFFC, May 25 CIFFC, July 15 CIFFC, July 25.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski stated that Canada remains in the heart of the wildfire season and that the situation remains serious The Globe and Mail. The wildfire season does not officially end until October 31.

In British Columbia's Okanagan region, a wildfire destroyed or damaged some 150 structures, according to B.C. wildfire officials. The Bald Range fire broke out August 7 in the district municipality of Summerland and nearby Peachland, prompting the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents and a provincial state of emergency.

Natural Resources Canada modelling indicates fires in southern British Columbia are expected to remain active, though forecasted precipitation could help reduce activity. Localized areas of higher-than-normal fire danger are expected to persist for northern B.C., Yukon, the Northwest Territories, northwestern Quebec and Nunavut. More broadly, wildfire danger is expected to be higher than normal across most of Canada except in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Environment and Climate Change Canada's weather forecast points to above-average temperatures across much of Canada from August through September 2026.

The 2026 figures, while substantial, are running below the pace of the previous two record-setting seasons. Canada's most destructive wildfire season was 2023, when fires consumed an estimated 16.5 million hectares; by mid-August of that year, 5,738 fires had already burned 13.7 million hectares. The 2025 season ranked second worst on record, with fires burning more than 8.3 million hectares across nearly every province and territory. By mid-August 2025, 4,584 fires had consumed 7.7 million hectares The Globe and Mail.

For context, nearly 7,000 wildfires occur each year in Canada on average, burning about 2.7 million hectares. Lightning causes roughly 46 per cent of all wildfires but accounts for about 83 per cent of the total area burned CWFIS. The explanation is that lightning-ignited fires tend to start in remote areas where they burn longer before crews can reach them.

The trajectory of the 2026 season bears watching on several fronts. The 4.1 million hectares burned to date already exceed the long-term annual average of 2.7 million, with more than two months remaining before the official October 31 close. CIFFC's Preparedness Level 5, sustained international resource requests, and the government's own modelling pointing to above-normal danger across most of the country all suggest the final ranking is not yet settled. The seasonal forecast improvement introduced by the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System as of April 2026, covering the April-through-September period, may provide better forward-looking projections, but the determining variables remain temperature anomalies, precipitation patterns, and ignition frequency through the late-summer shoulder period.