Canada wildfires by numbers

From east to west, Canada has endured an historic fire season that began very early in the spring and has lasted for more than five months.

Due to its geographical location the country is warming faster than the rest of the world, and has faced more and more extreme weather events whose intensity and frequency are rising in part due to climate change.

These figures outline how the crisis is unfolding.

18 millions hectares burned in Canada

An area the size of Tunisia has already gone up in smoke: more than 18 million hectares have burned, eclipsing the previous record of 7.3 million hectares in 1989, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Some provinces like Quebec, although less accustomed to megafires than those in the west, were severely affected. The French-speaking province even holds the record for hectares burned this year at more than 5.2 million, followed by the Northwest Territories in the far north at over 4 million.

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In total, Canada has recorded nearly 6,500 forest fires since the start of the year. A large part of them were caused by lightning strikes amid severe drought conditions.

By the end of September, their numbers dwindled but some 900 fires were still active, mainly in the west of the country.

Record carbon emissions

Carbon emissions from wildfires reached unprecedented levels (473 megatonnes), more than three times higher than any previous year, according to European Copernicus observatory data.

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Canadian wildfires alone in 2023 represent to date a third of global carbon emissions linked to forest fires (1,455 megatons).

Heavy toll

More than 200,000 people have been displaced by wildfires in Canada and eight firefighters lost their lives.

In Quebec, the equivalent of 10 years of logging went up in smoke in a few weeks, according to initial estimates, risking a forestry crisis. The industry is currently engaged in a race against time to recover as much wood as possible before the still usable charred trunks are devoured by insects.

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In many provinces, the costs of fighting fires have soared. In the west of the country, British Columbia announced Thursday that 2023 is officially its costliest wildfire season ever.

These higher-than-expected costs added Can$2.5 billion to the deficit for the provincial government this year.