Overview
- Wildfires have consumed 3.7 million hectares of Canadian land this season, making it the second worst since 2023.
- More than 30,000 residents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have been evacuated after fires burned unchecked for over two weeks.
- U.S. meteorologists say viewer demand for wildfire smoke updates has surged, with weather networks increasing coverage of distant Canadian blazes.
- Plumes have reduced visibility and air quality in states like North Dakota and New York, with smoke detections in Europe prompting health warnings over respiratory and developmental risks.
- Fire experts link the season’s intensity and deep smoke layers to human-driven climate warming, warning of longer, more destructive fire seasons ahead.