Archived reports

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

Priority fires

Quebec: Numerous forest fires are forcing thousands of evacuations in several regions of Québec and are threatening essential infrastructure. The resulting smoke is also compromising the health of individuals, especially at-risk populations. SOPFEU is fighting a high number of fires, especially in the following regions: Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Mauricie and Nord-du-Québec regions. Alberta:

Saskatchewan: 23BN-VERMETTE (Southwest of Dillon), 23LX-SHAW (Between Buffalo Narrows and Ile-A-La Crosse), 23LA-WISTIGO (Southeast of Pinehouse Lake),

Alberta: Zama City (HWF064), Grizzley Complex (SWF057/063/064/095), Pony Creek (LWF148), Town of Rainbow Lake/Dene Tha’ First Nation (HWF058), Peavine Creek (BC/AB border fire), Boone Lake Complex (GCX002), Rockey River Fire (MWF025), Cecil Fire (GWF018), Paskwa Fire (HWF030), Sturgeon Lake Complex (WCU001/002, EWF035), Eagle Complex (WWF023, GWF027, GWF040), Pembina Complex (EWF031/039, RWF034/040), Long Lake Fire (HWF036)

British Columbia: West Kiskatinaw River (G70645), Peavine Creek (G70644), Donnie Creek (G80280), Cameron Bluffs (V70600).

Northwest Territories: FS001-23 south of Sambaa K’e

Interagency mobilization

Canada is at national preparedness level 5, indicating full commitment of national resources is ongoing, demand for resources is extreme, and international resources are being mobilized. Quebec and Alberta are at Preparedness Level 5, Ontario is at Preparedness Level 4, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Parks Canada are at Preparedness Level 3, and all other agencies are at Preparedness Level 1 or 2.

The number of fires is well above average for this time of year, and well above the average for area burned for this time of year The ten-year average of cumulative area burned is 331,331 hectares for this day. There was 313 net new fire starts, with 168 of those attributed to lightning reported over the last week.

At the time of this report, aircraft, personnel, and equipment have been mobilized to Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, and CIFFC from across Canada. There are American, Australian, New Zealand, South African, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chilean, and Costa Rican personnel active in Canada, with additional personnel from Australia, and New Zealand, and South Africa anticipated. The United States is at preparedness level 2.

Weekly Synopsis

Nova Scotia has burning restrictions in the northern regions of the province, where burning is only allowed between 7pm and 8am the following day. The remaining regions of the province burning is allowed between 2pm and 8 am the following day.

Prince Edward Island for Category 1 fires, you must check the Burn Restrictions below before you may burn. For Category 2, 3, or 4 fires, you must hold a valid burn permit and you must check the Fire Weather Index (FWI) below before you may burn.

Quebec has a province wide ban on open fires in or around the vicinity of the forest and has restricted access to areas due to wildfire.

In Ontario due to the extreme forest fire hazard, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has declared a Restricted Fire Zone for the entire fire region of Ontario (Zones 1 to 36). The Restricted Fire Zone is in effect until further notice. Restricted Fire Zones help protect public safety. Open air burning, including campfires, is not permitted within the boundaries of a Restricted Fire Zone. Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth BUT must be handled with extreme caution. All burning permits are suspended.

Saskatchewan has fire bans in the Rural Municipalities of Loon Lake, Meadow Lake, Turtle River, Antelope Park, Prariedale and Riverside west of the province.

Currently in Alberta, there fire bans, restrictions, or advisories across the entire province.

Northwest Territories has high to extreme fire danger in the following regions: South Slave, Dehcho, North Slave, Sahtu and the Beaufort-Delta regions. Campfires are not recommended unless it is necessary for food or warmth. The Town of Fort Smith has a fire ban on open air fires, Camp stoves, enclosed BBQs and propane-fueled cooking and heating devices are permitted.

British Columbia has category 1, 2, and 3 bans across the province, however campfires are allowed in the Southeast Fire Region.

Yukon, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador have no provincial/territorial fire restrictions in place.

An upper low pressure area in southern British Columbia and surface low on the Alberta/Saskatchewan border is giving much-needed rain from eastern British Columbia through much of Alberta. This will help reduce fire activity, but repeated rainfall is probably needed to avoid flareups with return of warm and dry weather as the region experienced in late May. A high pressure centre over the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border coupled with the surface low further west will generate significant southeast winds and may promote rapid fire growth in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. A slow-moving low pressure system over the Great Lakes is circulating showers through western and central Quebec, which may reduce fire activity in some areas, but likely not produce much rain over fires close to James Bay.

Prognosis

The high pressure area over central Canada is bent across Hudson Bay by Friday, June 16 with a southwest upper flow over top of it. This will focus a moisture stream from southern British Columbia, through Alberta and Saskatchewan and possibly clipping northern Manitoba. The low pressure area moving northeast across Saskatchewan on Wednesday and Thursday (June 14-15) will generate significant southeast winds, which will increase in eastern Manitoba and western Ontario on Thursday and overnight into Friday. Mainly dry conditions prevail from Manitoba through western Quebec, Labrador, and Newfoundland, although some thundershowers may affect western and northern Manitoba as the low from the southwest moves across. Generally dry conditions appear to prevail in northern Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The dry pattern in the east appears to spread across all of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces early in the week of June 18. Over the June 14-20 period, the most fire-prone area appears to be eastern Saskatchewan through western Quebec. High Duff Moisture Code values indicate lightning, although likely sparse, could trigger new fires.