Overview

• Over 200 active fires across central and western Canada have consumed more than 2.2 million hectares, with over half deemed uncontrollable by the Canadian Forest Service.
• Saskatchewan and Manitoba declared states of emergency in late May, triggering the evacuation of more than 31,000 residents.
• Canadian crews have been bolstered by 140 American firefighters as smoke from the blazes degrades air quality in central Canada, the US Midwest and parts of Europe.
• In Alberta, key oil sites have been shut down—impacting over 7% of national production—after fires encroached on energy infrastructure.
• Officials link the exceptionally early and intense fire activity to climate change and warn the situation could worsen through June and July.