Canadians are witnessing one of the worst seasons of wildfires as almost 1,000 fires are ongoing in the country and more than three million hectares of land are affected, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney. As per the reports, more than 200 fires are still beyond the control of authorities and are likely to remain at risk due to dry weather conditions in several parts of the country.

The fires have engulfed almost all parts of the country and led to evacuations, posing serious concerns for emergency services teams. In Ontario, the biggest wildfire has prompted thousands of people to evacuate their residences, and smoke from the fires has caused deterioration in air quality in eastern parts of Canada as well as the US. 

Almost 5,000 firefighters are engaged in firefighting operations along with more than 300 planes and personnel of the armed forces. The United States and France have sent some of the international crews to assist in firefighting operations in Quebec, where several fires are burning in northwest parts of the province. However, rains in recent days have curbed the activity of fires in some parts, yet the weather conditions are favorable for new fires.

Yves Bergeron, professor at the Centre for Forest Studies at the University of Quebec at Montreal, noted that the country's boreal forests form an environment in which fires may spread rapidly through tree crowns. It would be impossible to put out every fire due to its large scale and location, especially the ones that occur far from inhabited places.

Canada has around 270 million hectares of the boreal forest, which accounts for about 28% of the planet's total boreal forest. Lightning is the primary source of wildfires in the region; however, heatwaves, droughts, and low rainfall led to more frequent and severe fire seasons, as stated by researchers.

This year's number of hectares burnt is less than the record set in Canada in 2023 during its wildfire season, when 18 million hectares were burnt down. Nevertheless, officials stated that forecasts of high temperatures and dry weather in northern and western Canada may prolong the ongoing fire season and lead to more evacuations.