Overview

• More than 5.5 million hectares have burned so far this year, more than twice the ten-year average for mid-July
• Government reports 561 active wildfires, including 69 that are out of control, with national preparedness at its highest level
• Western provinces and 66 First Nations communities have evacuated over 39,000 people as provincial fire services face heavy strain
• Over 530 international firefighters from Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States have been deployed to bolster ground operations
• Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said officials are weighing the creation of a permanent national agency to coordinate future disaster response