What you need to know about Canada’s exceptional wildfire season

Canada is on fire.

At least that’s the perception around the world, as hundreds of fires have ravaged the country, forced tens of thousands of people to flee and raised alarms worldwide about the dangers of climate change.

In a country known for its orderliness, the out-of-control fires have created the ominous feel of a land under siege, stretching from the west to east coasts, pouring toxic plumes over major cities like Ottawa, the capital, Toronto. , the largest city and financial capital, and Montreal.

As smoke poured into the United States, disrupting life in the Northeast and turning New York City’s skyline an apocalyptic orange hue, the fires also underscored how environmental disasters don’t respect borders.

Here’s what you need to know about Canada’s fires and wildfire season.

Wildfire season started early this year.

While wildfires are common throughout much of Canada in the spring and summer, they tend to burn in remote and sparsely populated areas. But this year’s fires were already remarkable: hundreds of fires across much of the country.

A dry, windy and abnormally warm spring provided ideal fire conditions in many regions with the first major fires breaking out in May in Alberta, an oil and gas-producing province regularly ravaged by fires.

So far, more than 2,300 fires have consumed about 9,142,899 acres of forest, far more than the 674,357 acres burning on average at this point in the season.

The fires are likely to multiply.

The forecast of the Canadian government shows the whole country an above-average risk of wildfires for the rest of June. Ontario and British Columbia have seen relatively little fire activity, but most experts don’t expect this to continue. But not all parts of the country will be affected; the Arctic regions above the tree line are too cold for trees.

The spread of the major fires is also unusual: from Alberta in the west to Nova Scotia on the Atlantic coast, three time zones away. The smoke plaguing the United States comes mostly from areas of Quebec not normally associated with major wildfires.

What caused the fires?

Lightning strikes typically cause about half of Canada’s wildfires each season. Those fires are generally the most damaging because they often start in remote areas and are difficult for firefighters to access. They account for about 85 percent of the forest that burns most seasons.

Humans are responsible for the other half of fires that are not caused by lightning, but cause them in different ways, mostly unintentionally through carelessness. One of the fires in Alberta this year started when an all-terrain vehicle caught fire. Some counties have closed parks and forests to people and have banned camping and outdoor fires to mitigate the risk.

In recent years, sparks from braking trains while descending mountain passes have also caused fires.

What role has climate change played in the fires?

Climate research suggests that heat and drought associated with global warming are major reasons for the increase in larger fires.

Canada has the world’s largest intact forest ecosystem and many parts of the country have recently experienced drought and high heat. That can make trees vulnerable to fire and can dry out dead grass, pine needles and other material on the forest floor that can serve as kindling when a forest sweeps through a forest.

Wildfire experts see the signs of climate change in the drought, intense heat and longer fire season that have made these fires more extreme and likely to do so in the future.

When will the smoke subside?

Smoke patterns, like the fires themselves, are weather dependent. In cities that have endured days of smoke and ashen skies, relief is on the way.

Rain and cloud cover from Ontario wildfires should improve air quality in Toronto.

Steven Flisfeder, an alert preparedness meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the weekend could improve air quality in Toronto, thanks to some rain and cloud cover near Ontario wildfire areas.

Catherine Brabant, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said it didn’t look like wind patterns will move the plumes of smoke into Montreal, Quebec’s largest city.

But with fires increasing in frequency and intensity, experts say smoke filtering into the United States is becoming more common.

Why is Canada’s firefighting capacity so limited?

Canada has no national wildfire fighting force, relying instead on its 10 provinces and three territories.

In normal times, a coordination center shuffles firefighters and equipment such as water bombers and helicopters from counties with few fires to crisis areas ravaged by fires.

However, these are not normal times.

The scope and scale of this year’s fires make it difficult for counties to share firefighters and equipment and the system has been stretched to its limits.

To ease the pressure, more than 1,100 firefighters have traveled to Canada from abroad, including groups from France, Chile, Costa Rica, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Vjosa Isai contributed reporting.