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ClimateSeverity: Critical

Wildfire and heat in Western Canada

Record-breaking heat and wildfire seasons have affected communities, forests and air quality across British Columbia and Alberta.

Western Canada · Canada

01 · The problem

What is happening

In late June 2021, a heat dome brought unprecedented temperatures to British Columbia; the village of Lytton set a Canadian national temperature record and was destroyed by fire the next day. The BC Coroners Service reported hundreds of heat-related deaths. Canada's 2023 wildfire season was the most extensive on record nationally, forcing large evacuations, including in British Columbia and Alberta, and sending smoke across North America. Earlier, the 2016 Fort McMurray fire forced the evacuation of the entire city.

Critical severity. Severe, persistent harm to health, ecosystems or livelihoods. Severity is descriptive editorial metadata summarising documented effects. It is not a measured index or a score.

02 · Causes

Why it is happening

  1. 01

    Warming climate

    Canada is warming faster than the global average, increasing heat extremes.

  2. 02

    Drought and dry fuels

    Hot, dry conditions increase fire spread.

  3. 03

    Lightning and human ignitions

    Both natural and human-caused ignitions start fires.

  4. 04

    Forest conditions

    Insect outbreaks such as mountain pine beetle and fire suppression history affect fuel loads.

03 · Impacts

Who and what it affects

  1. 01

    Loss of life and homes

    Heat and fire have caused deaths and destroyed communities.

  2. 02

    Smoke across the continent

    Wildfire smoke degrades air quality far from the fires.

  3. 03

    Impacts on Indigenous communities

    Many First Nations communities have been evacuated repeatedly.

  4. 04

    Forest carbon loss

    Large fires release substantial carbon.

04 · Solutions

Documented approaches

  1. FireSmart programmes

    Community and home-level wildfire risk reduction.

    Expected effectReduces structure losses.

  2. Cultural and prescribed burning

    Indigenous-led and prescribed burning to reduce fuel loads.

    Expected effectLowers the intensity of future fires.

  3. Heat alert and response systems

    Provincial heat alerts, cooling centres and checks on vulnerable people.

    Expected effectReduces heat deaths.

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05 · Key indicators

What can be measured

Notable event
2021 western North America heat dome2021

Set Canada's national temperature record at Lytton, British Columbia.

Notable season
Record national area burned2023

Canada's most extensive wildfire season on record.

06 · Sources

Where this comes from

  1. [1]Canadian Wildland Fire Information SystemNatural Resources Canadacwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca(opens in a new tab)
  2. [2]Canadian Interagency Forest Fire CentreCIFFCciffc.ca(opens in a new tab)
  3. [3]Environment and Climate Change CanadaGovernment of Canadacanada.ca(opens in a new tab)

Links open the publishing organisation's site. Some point to the publisher's main page, where the named report or dataset can be found.

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