Canada, province by province
Wildfire risk in Canada is not one problem — it is a dozen different ones. What threatens a cottage in the Whiteshell is not what threatens a house in West Kelowna or an outport on the Avalon. Each guide covers the local fire season, the fuel you are actually surrounded by, the recent fires worth knowing about, the provincial programs available to you, and what to buy first.
Extreme risk
Repeated large-scale evacuations and structural losses in the last three seasons.
British Columbia
Canada's most consistently fire-affected province
- Season
- April to October
- Burned 2025
- 886,419 ha
Alberta
Boreal forest meets rapid exurban growth
- Season
- March 1 to October 31 (legislated fire season)
- Burned 2025
- 676,252 ha
Saskatchewan
Second-highest area burned nationally in 2025
- Season
- April to September
- Burned 2025
- 2,931,885 ha
Manitoba
Highest area burned in Canada in 2025; two fatalities
- Season
- April to September
- Burned 2025
- 2,169,092 ha
Northwest Territories
68% of the territory's population evacuated in 2023
- Season
- May to September
- Burned 2025
- 1,385,271 ha
High risk
Serious recent fires, or major smoke exposure, or both.
Ontario
Northwestern fire belt; smoke exposure province-wide
- Season
- April 1 to October 31 (legislated)
- Burned 2025
- 597,522 ha
Quebec
Home of Canada's single largest provincial burn on record
- Season
- April to September
- Burned 2025
- 6,597 ha
Nova Scotia
2023 Barrington Lake was the largest fire in provincial history
- Season
- March 15 to October 15 (legislated burn restrictions)
- Burned 2025
- 8,646 ha
Newfoundland and Labrador
2025 Kingston fire destroyed 203 structures
- Season
- May to September
- Burned 2025
- 18,469 ha
Yukon
Large remote burns; small, dispersed communities
- Season
- May to August
- Burned 2025
- 169,217 ha
Moderate risk
Heavy forest cover and growing interface exposure, smaller recorded burns.
Low risk
Minimal wildfire history; imported smoke is the realistic exposure.
Very low risk
Above the treeline. Structural fire, not wildfire, is the risk.
Figures and links were checked in September 2026. Fire season dates, provincial programs and rebate offers change — always confirm with the provincial agency linked on each page before you rely on it. Area-burned figures come from provincial and national reporting for the seasons named.