National Wildland Fire Situation Report

National Wildland Fire Situation Report

Archived reports

Current as of: May 9, 2025

• Data courtesy of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).
• Check the Air Quality Health Index for air quality in your area.

Priority fires

Alberta: PWF-031-2025
• This wildfire is approximately 2,259 ha and currently listed as out-of-control. • It is in the Peace River Forest Area

Manitoba: WE004 • This wildfire is approximately 5000 hectares in size and is located close to Opaskwayak Cree Nation. • Manitoba Wildfire Service continues to action the fire and there are no concerns currently. • 60 residents were evacuated on May 5.

Interagency mobilization

Canada is at national preparedness level 1, indicating that conditions are not favourable to support significant wildland fire activity in most agencies and resource capability is adequate, with little or no mobilization of resources occurring through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

Alberta (AB) and Saskatchewan (SK) are at Agency Preparedness Level (APL) 3, Manitoba, Ontario and Parks Canada are at 2, and other agencies are at 1. At APL 3, agencies have high Fire Danger, anticipate high fire load in the next week, and may require some assistance with resources.

At the time of this report, there are no personnel, equipment or aircraft being mobilized through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. There are firefighters mobilized from Ontario to Minnesota through a compact agreement. The United States is at preparedness level 1 and so mobilizing little to no resources through the National Interagency Forest Fire Centre (NIFC).

The number of fires is average for this time of year, and the area burned is significantly less than the 10-year average for this time of year.

Weekly Synopsis

In British Columbia, there are currently no fire restrictions in place.

In Alberta, there are fire bans and restrictions across the province, particularly in the central, southern, southwestern and southeastern regions

In Saskatchewan, fire bans and restrictions are in effect across the central to mid-southern regions of the province, extending from the western border to the eastern edge.

In Manitoba, Level 1 restrictions, which include no fires between 8:00am and 8:00pm, are in place in the southeast and Interlake regions, and the Whiteshell and Spruce Woods Provincial Parks.

In Ontario, there is currently one restricted fire zone west of Lena Lake and Wawa Lake. Campfires and open fires are also prohibited in several Provincial Parks.

In Nova Scotia burning is only allowed between 7:00 pm and 8:00 am in Annapolis, Cape Breton, Colchester, Cumberland, Hants, Inverness, Kings, Pictou, Richmond, and Victoria. In other counties, burning is allowed between 2:00pm and 8:00am.

Prince Edward Island requires burning permits based on the daily Fire Weather Index.

Newfoundland and Labrador require burning permits, but suspends permits when fire hazard is high, very, high or extreme for a region.

Yukon requires burning permits from April 1 to September 30.

New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Quebec currently have no restrictions in place.

Snow cover has receded across most of the country, but above normal cover in eastern parts of the Northwest Territories and Quebec will likely delay the onset of fire activity in these regions by a few weeks. Warm and dry conditions across much of the country and wind gusts of 60 km/hr or higher may allow for rapid fire spread.

Prognosis

A high-pressure ridge, with troughs on either side, is slowly moving across Canada, producing warm, dry, and windy weather as it progresses eastward. Rapid fire growth can be expected if ignitions occur in windy regions with gusts of 60 km/h or higher.

In the Atlantic region, dry conditions are anticipated following showers expected in the coming week. A moister pattern appears to develop in western Canada during the week of May 11, producing widespread showers or thundershowers in southern and central parts of western Canada.

Lightning becomes increasingly likely in the late spring. Much of southern British Columbia and the Prairies Provinces have high Duff Moisture Code values, indicating these regions may soon have an increase in lightning-caused fires.

Weekly graphs (current as of: May 9, 2025)