Canada is preparing for the risk of severe forest fires in June and July

Despite an early start to the 2024 wildfire season, Canada is in better shape than last year, officials said Wednesday, but there is still a risk of "above normal" fires in the coming months.

According to the Canadian Forest Fire Centre, a total of 69 active fires were burning across Canada as of Wednesday, of which eight were reported as out of control. Most of the wildfires are currently burning in Alberta and British Columbia, with a few in Quebec.

According to experts, the weather forecast shows that the coming months will likely be warmer than normal in most parts of Canada, and parts of the country will see less than normal precipitation. Climate change is the main reason for the increase and intensity of forest fires.

For June, above-normal fire activity is likely across most of Canada, extending from British Columbia to western Labrador, New Brunswick and southern Nova Scotia. In July, there is a possibility of fire activity from the Yukon and eastern British Columbia towards Quebec.

Canada experienced its worst wildfire season last year, burning about 18.5 million hectares of land.

According to officials, although the June forecast shows a decrease in the intensity of fires compared to last year, the forecast for July and August is very similar to 2023.

Environment Canada is predicting "above normal" temperatures for all regions of Canada and persistent drought conditions in high-risk areas, especially the Prairies, during the summer months.

According to reports, a total of 1,497 forest fires in Canada this year have burned approximately 522,000 hectares of land. Last year, almost three million hectares of land were burned in the same period of time.

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