Overview

• Canada has burned through 3.5 million hectares this spring, marking an unusually early and extreme fire season
• More than 225 blazes are active across central and western regions, with Saskatchewan under a state of emergency
• A 20-hectare fire near Squamish has prompted local authorities to place 25,000 residents on evacuation standby
• Over 30,000 people have already been displaced as officials prepare for worsening conditions
• Authorities attribute the surge in fires to accidental human causes in record-dry forests and warn that Canada’s warming rate is twice the global average