Canadian Wildland Fire Information System

National Wildland Fire Situation Report

Current as of: September 4, 2013

Current active fires
Uncontrolled Controlled Modified Response
11 114 333
2013
(to date)		 10-yr avg
(to date)		 % normal Prescribed U.S.
Number 5,780 6,113 88 48 35,430
Area
(ha)		 3,647,589 1,875,617 185 3,954 1,575,667

Priority fires

  • None

Interagency mobilization

The National Preparedness Level remained at level 1 this week. Agencies are sharing 133 personnel with the Unites States. Resource mobilization is below average for this time of year. Human activity accounted for 69% of this week’s fires. The United States decreased to level 3, with large fires burning in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.

Weekly Synopsis

During the past week 155 new fires started, burning 88,499 ha. Both the number of new fires and the weekly area burned are above the 10-year average. The majority of the past week’s fires occurred in British Columbia and Alberta (42% and 37% respectively), while 94% of the area burned occurred in Quebec. Seasonal fire occurrence remained below average, while the area burned to date is nearly double the 10-year average.

Nationally, fire danger has increased to low to moderate throughout most of Canada. Fire danger in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories remained low. The patches of high fire danger in the British Columbia interior have expanded. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, fire danger is moderate to high, with very high fire danger in southern regions. Fire danger decreased to low throughout Manitoba. Ontario increased to moderate fire danger. Quebec and Atlantic Canada are at low fire danger.

In British Columbia, open fires are restricted in the Coastal, Kamloops, and Southeast regions. In Alberta, fire bans are in place for Black Diamond, Cypress County, and Turner Valley. In the Yukon, burning permits have been suspended in the districts of Haines Junction and Whitehorse.

Prognosis

Nationally, fire danger is expected to be moderate over the coming week. Two storm tracks affect Canada over the next week. One is along the 49th parallel, where a Pacific storm trudges through the plains between the weekend and the first half of the week of September 8. The second storm track moves along the Arctic coast, then turns southeast over the Hudson Bay area. Between these two tracks, warm and generally dry conditions will prevail. Although summer is waning and nights are becoming longer and cooler, the generally warm and dry conditions in the west will still lead to occasional lightning-caused and human-caused fires.With Canada at moderate fire danger, national resources should be sufficient.

Note:

This is the last weekly national report for this season. The annual Canada Report from CIFFC will be available in early in 2014. Current information continues to be made available through the various provincial and territorial agencies' web sites which can be accessed through the agency links located at the bottom of this page.

Current graphs

Note: For provinces, PC = Parks Canada

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