Department of Natural Resources and Renewables firefighter Kalen MacMullin of Sydney, N.S. works on a fire in Shelburne County, N.S. in a Thursday, June 1, 2023 handout photo. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to provide an update on the wildfires that have caused widespread destruction in several provinces. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Communications Nova Scotia **MANDATORY CREDIT**
OTTAWA – An area of land 11 times bigger than the city of Toronto burned from wildfires in the past four days – Canada’s worst spring wildfire season to date.
Another 389 fires were recorded since June 1, and as of this morning there are 413 active fires underway, with the risk having spread to more provinces over the weekend.
Nearly 250 of those are out of control in nine provinces and two territories.
Mike Norton, the director general of the Northern Forestry Centre at the Department of Natural Resources, says having this many fires from coast to coast at this time of year is not normal.
And the outlook for the rest of the season remains dire.
In June the risk is well above average in every province and territory except Newfoundland and Labrador, where the risk is a little lower but still above average.
Statistics compiled by the Canada Interagency Forest Fire Centre show more than 7,300 square kilometres of land burned in the last four days.
That is nearly three times the average amount that has normally burned in the first five months of the year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2023.
