2023 Canadian wildfires: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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As of October 6,{{Nbsp}}6,551 fires had burned {{convert|184,961|km2|sqmi|sigfig=5}},<ref name="SitReport">{{cite web |title=Fire Statistics |url=https://ciffc.net/statistics |website=Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre |access-date=October 6, 2023}}</ref> about 5% of the entire forest area of Canada,<!--which is about 362 million ha. Rounding the number means that "about 5" is 4.5-5.499...--><ref>{{Cite web|title=The State of Canada's Forests Report|date=June 11, 2015 |url=https://natural-resources.canada.ca/our-natural-resources/forests/state-canadas-forests-report/how-much-forest-does-canada-have/17601|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=August 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719130425/https://natural-resources.canada.ca/our-natural-resources/forests/state-canadas-forests-report/how-much-forest-does-canada-have/17601|archive-date=July 19, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and more than six times the long-term average of {{convert|27300|km2|sqmi|sigfig=5}} for that time of the year.<ref name="SitArchive"/> As of mid-October, the total area burnt was more than 2.5 times the previous record.<ref>{{cite news |last=Livingston |first=Ian |date=18 October 2023 |title=Canada’s astonishing and record fire season finally slows down |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/10/18/canada-historic-2023-wildfire-season-end/ |access-date=8 April 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Eight firefighters were killed, and 185,000 to 232,000 people were displaced,<ref name="v065"/><ref name="d308">{{cite web | last=Clarkin | first=Acton | title=Canada accounted for 43% of people displaced by wildfires globally in 2023, data shows | website=CBC | date=2023-05-06 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-accounted-for-43-of-people-displaced-by-wildfires-globally-in-2023-data-shows-1.7205739 | access-date=2024-08-13}}</ref> including 16,400 in Nova Scotia's capital of [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], 21,720 in the Northwest Territories capital of [[Yellowknife]], and almost 30,000 in British Columbia's [[Kelowna]] and [[West Kelowna]].<ref name="x001">{{cite journal | last=Kolden | first=Crystal A. | last2=Abatzoglou | first2=John T. | last3=Jones | first3=Matthew W. | last4=Jain | first4=Piyush | title=Wildfires in 2023 | journal=Nature Reviews Earth & Environment | volume=5 | issue=4 | date=2024-04-04 | issn=2662-138X | doi=10.1038/s43017-024-00544-y | pages=238–240}}</ref> Thousands of international firefighters traveled to Canada to join efforts to combat the fires.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smellie |first1=Sarah |date=June 12, 2023 |title=Nearly 350 firefighters from the EU will help battle relentless Canadian wildfires |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/nearly-350-firefighters-from-the-eu-will-help-battle-relentless-canadian-wildfires-1.6437130 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616133925/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/nearly-350-firefighters-from-the-eu-will-help-battle-relentless-canadian-wildfires-1.6437130 |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |access-date=June 16, 2023 |agency=CTV News}}</ref><ref name="CTV">{{cite news |date=June 14, 2023 |title=Canada will continue to rely on foreign firefighters as wildfires increase: Trudeau |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-will-continue-to-rely-on-foreign-firefighters-as-wildfires-increase-trudeau-1.6441183 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616132611/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-will-continue-to-rely-on-foreign-firefighters-as-wildfires-increase-trudeau-1.6441183 |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |access-date=June 16, 2023 |publisher=[[CTV News]] |agency=[[The Canadian Press]]}}</ref>

Smoke emitted from the wildfires caused [[air quality]] alerts and evacuations in Canada and the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/06/29/1184989815/air-quality-midwest-red-purple-alert-canada-wildfires-smoke |title=A big swath of the U.S. is under red and purple air quality alerts from Canada's smoke |website=npr.org |date=June 29, 2023 |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703080700/https://www.npr.org/2023/06/29/1184989815/air-quality-midwest-red-purple-alert-canada-wildfires-smoke |url-status=live}}</ref> In late June, the smoke crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reaching Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/europe-experiences-significant-transport-smoke-canada-wildfires |title=Europe experiences significant transport of smoke from Canada wildfires |date=June 27, 2023 |access-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-date=July 4, 2023| website=atmosphere.copernicus.eu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704105759/https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/europe-experiences-significant-transport-smoke-canada-wildfires |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151507/canadian-smoke-reaches-europe |title=Canadian Smoke Reaches Europe |publisher=NASA |date=June 26, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702061956/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151507/canadian-smoke-reaches-europe |url-status=live}}</ref> Many of the largest fires were under control by July, including fires which had funnelled smoke into the [[East Coast of the United States|Eastern Seaboard]]. However, significant fires continued well into the fall season, with several major fires breaking out in September.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/world-on-fire-canada-s-worst-wildfire-season-on-record-1.6946472 Canada's worst wildfire season on record]cbc.ca {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106221134/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/world-on-fire-canada-s-worst-wildfire-season-on-record-1.6946472 |date=November 6, 2023 }}</ref> Moderate-to-severe [[drought]] conditions from British Columbia to northern Ontario also continued into fall.<ref>[https://agriculture.canada.ca/atlas/data_donnees/canadianDroughtMonitor/maps_cartes/monthlyAssessments/en/2023/cdm_2309_mn_en.pdf Monthly assessment maps]agriculture.canada.ca {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106221626/https://agriculture.canada.ca/atlas/data_donnees/canadianDroughtMonitor/maps_cartes/monthlyAssessments/en/2023/cdm_2309_mn_en.pdf |date=November 6, 2023 }}</ref> Though most of the fires were extinguished by winter, some in northern Alberta and British Columbia continued to smoulder in peat, reigniting the following February and starting the [[2024 Canadian wildfires|2024 fires]].<ref name="v065">{{cite journal | last=Jones | first=Matthew W. | last2=Kelley | first2=Douglas I. | last3=Burton | first3=Chantelle A. | last4=Di Giuseppe | first4=Francesca | last5=Barbosa | first5=Maria Lucia F. | last6=Brambleby | first6=Esther | last7=Hartley | first7=Andrew J. | last8=Lombardi | first8=Anna | last9=Mataveli | first9=Guilherme | last10=McNorton | first10=Joe R. | last11=Spuler | first11=Fiona R. | last12=Wessel | first12=Jakob B. | last13=Abatzoglou | first13=John T. | last14=Anderson | first14=Liana O. | last15=Andela | first15=Niels | last16=Archibald | first16=Sally | last17=Armenteras | first17=Dolors | last18=Burke | first18=Eleanor | last19=Carmenta | first19=Rachel | last20=Chuvieco | first20=Emilio | last21=Clarke | first21=Hamish | last22=Doerr | first22=Stefan H. | last23=Fernandes | first23=Paulo M. | last24=Giglio | first24=Louis | last25=Hamilton | first25=Douglas S. | last26=Hantson | first26=Stijn | last27=Harris | first27=Sarah | last28=Jain | first28=Piyush | last29=Kolden | first29=Crystal A. | last30=Kurvits | first30=Tiina | last31=Lampe | first31=Seppe | last32=Meier | first32=Sarah | last33=New | first33=Stacey | last34=Parrington | first34=Mark | last35=Perron | first35=Morgane M. G. | last36=Qu | first36=Yuquan | last37=Ribeiro | first37=Natasha S. | last38=Saharjo | first38=Bambang H. | last39=San-Miguel-Ayanz | first39=Jesus | last40=Shuman | first40=Jacquelyn K. | last41=Tanpipat | first41=Veerachai | last42=van der Werf | first42=Guido R. | last43=Veraverbeke | first43=Sander | last44=Xanthopoulos | first44=Gavriil | title=State of Wildfires 2023–2024 | journal=Earth System Science Data | publisher=Copernicus GmbH | volume=16 | issue=8 | date=2024-08-14 | issn=1866-3516 | doi=10.5194/essd-16-3601-2024 | doi-access=free | pages=3601–3685 | display-authors=1| hdl=10871/137179 | hdl-access=free }}</ref>

== Background ==

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The frequency, intensity, and timing of wildfires in Canada have changed over time. In general, since the 1970s and 1980s, the total annual number of wildfires has decreased but the area burned in Canada has increased.<ref name=":25">{{Cite news |last1=Shingler |first1=Benjamin |last2=Bruce |first2=Graeme |title=How wildfires are changing in Canada |publisher=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/climate/canada-wildfire-data-change-1.6854186 |url-status=live |access-date=June 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604192051/https://www.cbc.ca/news/climate/canada-wildfire-data-change-1.6854186 |archive-date=June 4, 2023}}</ref> Since 1959, the number of large fires greater than {{convert|200|ha|acre|abbr=unit}} has increased and the average fire season has become longer by about two weeks.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hanes |first1=Chelene C. |last2=Wang |first2=Xianli |last3=Jain |first3=Piyush |last4=Parisien |first4=Marc-André |last5=Little |first5=John M. |last6=Flannigan |first6=Mike D. |date=November 16, 2018 |title=Fire-regime changes in Canada over the last half century |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfr-2018-0293 |journal=Canadian Journal of Forest Research |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=256–269 |doi=10.1139/cjfr-2018-0293 |s2cid=91682728 |issn=0045-5067 |access-date=June 18, 2023 |archive-date=June 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618225102/https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfr-2018-0293 |url-status=live}}</ref> In Canada, wildfire season usually starts in May.<ref name=":26">{{cite web |date=May 11, 2023 |title=Wildfires Rage in Western Canada |url=https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/wildfires-rage-western-canada |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531101543/https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/wildfires-rage-western-canada |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |access-date=June 9, 2023 |publisher=[[National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service]] }}</ref> The 2023 fires were compared to the [[2016 Fort McMurray wildfire]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Bilefsky |first=Dan |date=May 20, 2023 |title=A 'Canadian Armageddon' Sets Parts of Western Canada on Fire |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/world/canada/canada-wildfire-alberta-british-columbia.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603055101/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/world/canada/canada-wildfire-alberta-british-columbia.html |archive-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chilukuri |first=Siri |date=May 20, 2023 |title=Wildfires have burned nearly 1 million acres in western Canada |work=[[Grist (magazine)|Grist]] |url=https://grist.org/wildfires/canadian-wildfires-destroy-nearly-1-million-acres-alberta/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530200005/https://grist.org/wildfires/canadian-wildfires-destroy-nearly-1-million-acres-alberta/ |archive-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref> and the 2021 [[Lytton wildfire]].<ref name=":27" />

The 2023 fire season was mainly driven by [[anthropogenic climate change]].<ref name="f068">{{cite journal | last=Jain | first=Piyush | last2=Barber | first2=Quinn E. | last3=Taylor | first3=Stephen W. | last4=Whitman | first4=Ellen | last5=Acuna | first5=Castellanos | last6=Boulanger | first6=Yan | last7=D. | first7=l | last8=Chen | first8=Jack | last9=Englefield | first9=Peter | last10=Flannigan | first10=Mike | last11=Girardin | first11=Martin P. | last12=Hanes | first12=Chelene C. | last13=Little | first13=John | last14=Morrison | first14=Kimberly | last15=Skakun | first15=Rob S. | last16=Thompson | first16=Dan K. | last17=Wang | first17=Xianli | title=Drivers and Impacts of the Record-Breaking 2023 Wildfire Season in Canada | journal=Nature Communications | publisher=Nature Publishing Group | volume=15 | issue=1 | date=2024-08-20 | issn=2041-1723 | doi=10.1038/s41467-024-51154-7 | pages=1–14 | url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51154-7 | access-date=2024-08-21 | display-authors=1| pmc=11335882 }}</ref> Climate change has made weather warmer and drier, raising wildfire risk as vegetation is more flammable under these conditions.<ref name=":25" /><ref>{{cite news |date=June 8, 2023 |title=How did the Canadian wildfires start? A look at what's driving the fires that covered the East Coast in smoke |publisher=[[CBS News]] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-did-the-wildfires-in-canada-start-cause-nova-scotia-quebec/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607224828/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-did-the-wildfires-in-canada-start-cause-nova-scotia-quebec/ |archive-date=June 7, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 19, 2023 |title=Alberta, Canada, wildfires show no sign of slowing, experts say -GB |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65638922 |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528120138/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65638922 |archive-date=May 28, 2023}}</ref><ref name=":27">{{cite news |last=Leonard |first=Diana |date=May 18, 2023 |title=Experts see climate change fingerprint in worsening heat waves and fires |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/05/18/western-wildfires-canada-climate-change-heat/ |access-date=June 8, 2023}}</ref> In Western Canada, a drought from 2022 persisted and, along with low winter snowpack, led to dried out soil; in contrast, Nova Scotia and Quebec saw normal soil moisture levels but high temperatures and rapid drying caused a [[flash drought]].<ref name="f068"/> Temperatures in Canada from May to October were {{convert|2.2|C-change|0}} higher than the 1991–2020 average.<ref name="f068"/> Following the Quebec wildfires, an analysis by [[World Weather Attribution]] showed that in Quebec, because of climate change, fire weather is twice as likely to occur and 20% more intense.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shingler |first=Benjamin |date=August 22, 2023 |title=Climate change made weather conditions that powered Quebec fires twice as likely, scientists say |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/climate/quebec-climate-change-wildfires-research-1.6943502 |access-date=August 23, 2023 |website=[[CBC News]] |archive-date=August 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823050440/https://www.cbc.ca/news/climate/quebec-climate-change-wildfires-research-1.6943502 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[2023 Western North America heat wave]] exacerbated the wildfires in Alberta.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prociv |first=Kathryn |date=2023-05-15 |title=Pacific Northwest heat wave continues after historic weekend |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/pacific-northwest-heat-wave-continues-historic-weekend-rcna84423 |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=[[NBC News]] |language=en |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521080844/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/pacific-northwest-heat-wave-continues-historic-weekend-rcna84423 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Canon |first=Gabrielle |date=2023-05-15 |title=Punishing heatwave grips Pacific north-west as wildfires rage in western Canada |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/15/heatwave-pacific-north-west-canada-wildfires |access-date=2023-05-21 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521080842/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/15/heatwave-pacific-north-west-canada-wildfires |url-status=live }}</ref>

Roughly half of all wildfires in Canada are caused by [[Lightning strike|lightning]]; due to climate change, lightning-caused fires are happening more frequently, and lightning strikes are expected to double by the end of the century.<ref name=":25" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Veraverbeke |first1=Sander |last2=Rogers |first2=Brendan M. |last3=Goulden |first3=Mike L. |last4=Jandt |first4=Randi R. |last5=Miller |first5=Charles E. |last6=Wiggins |first6=Elizabeth B. |last7=Randerson |first7=James T. |date=June 26, 2017 |title=Lightning as a major driver of recent large fire years in North American boreal forests |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate3329.epdf?sharing_token=U4YPVzDbwHkgv1F7rGPEfNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OpPbcUuw2Q7Z_IUJx0DLpDsyASll9OpOJqR7xDL_237heh4y675zyizqvECLDZjUgNWTb9vgYAy0ZLS-VVOwjYWJ2eAlDnIJbUA9-FivWV6-TPlRtMXTF8ULDY446WHL6hiM5qpPzACCqPFfvSnE5v01Sq7oH-ysrYyiHBwEdQSJ3Tl75-uBcgoyk7iyA4gynzdQQqaK_XEJTLAsgOPSsD1OEpO9feIK4DpPTG-UHLOw%3D%3D&tracking_referrer=www.cbc.ca |journal=[[Nature Climate Change]] |volume=7 |issue=7 |pages=529–534 |bibcode=2017NatCC...7..529V |doi=10.1038/nclimate3329 |access-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-date=June 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630100134/https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate3329.epdf?sharing_token=U4YPVzDbwHkgv1F7rGPEfNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OpPbcUuw2Q7Z_IUJx0DLpDsyASll9OpOJqR7xDL_237heh4y675zyizqvECLDZjUgNWTb9vgYAy0ZLS-VVOwjYWJ2eAlDnIJbUA9-FivWV6-TPlRtMXTF8ULDY446WHL6hiM5qpPzACCqPFfvSnE5v01Sq7oH-ysrYyiHBwEdQSJ3Tl75-uBcgoyk7iyA4gynzdQQqaK_XEJTLAsgOPSsD1OEpO9feIK4DpPTG-UHLOw%3D%3D&tracking_referrer=www.cbc.ca&error=cookies_not_supported&code=726fb7a1-1c14-42a7-b7a5-dbbb49d65f57 |url-status=live|hdl=1871.1/f0235d45-ab17-490b-94d4-e2735377e60f |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Forest Fires and Climate Change |url=https://climateatlas.ca/forest-fires-and-climate-change |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=Climate Atlas of Canada |archive-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612025231/https://climateatlas.ca/forest-fires-and-climate-change |url-status=live}}</ref> In terms of wildfire acreage, lightning-caused fires account for about 85% of land burned.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Lisa |date=December 21, 2023 |title=No large wildfires that threatened Alberta communities caused by arson: Ministry |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-albertas-unprecedented-wildfire-season#:~:text=Of%20a%20total%20of%201%2C121,cent%20of%20total%20affected%20land. |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 19, 2024 |work=Edmonton Journal |publisher=Postmedia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Canadian National Fire Database (CNFDB) |url=https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/ha/nfdb |access-date=June 12, 2023 |publisher=[[Natural Resources Canada]] |archive-date=June 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608074919/https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/ha/nfdb |url-status=live}}</ref> Lightning-caused fires often happen in clusters in remote locations.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 29, 2010 |title=Lightning and forest fires |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/lightning/forest-fires.html |access-date=June 12, 2023 |publisher=[[Government of Canada]] |archive-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612021619/https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/lightning/forest-fires.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The other half of wildfires in Canada are human-caused, often unintentionally sparked<ref>{{cite web |title=Forest fire |url=https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Forest_fire |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=Energy Education |archive-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612021854/https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Forest_fire |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NYT What to Know">{{Cite news |last1=Bilefsky |first1=Dan |last2=Austen |first2=Ian |date=June 10, 2023 |title=What to Know About Canada's Exceptional Wildfire Season |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/canada-wildfires-what-to-know.html |url-access=limited |access-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-date=June 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230611234910/https://www.nytimes.com/article/canada-wildfires-what-to-know.html |url-status=live }}</ref> by things such as discarded cigarette butts,<ref name=":3" /> abandoned [[smouldering]] campfires,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stober |first=Eric |date=June 8, 2023 |title=What causes most wildfires in Canada, and why we're 'primed' for a lot more |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9754882/what-starts-wildfires/ |access-date=June 12, 2023 |publisher=[[Global News]] |archive-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612025230/https://globalnews.ca/news/9754882/what-starts-wildfires/ |url-status=live }}</ref> sparks from braking trains, off road vehicles, and land clearing activities.<ref name="NYT What to Know" /> While false claims of [[arson]] gained traction on social media, arson is generally a minor cause of wildfires in Canada.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 12, 2023 |last=Kaminski |first=Isabella |title=Did climate change cause Canada's wildfires? |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230612-did-climate-change-cause-canadas-wildfires |access-date=June 18, 2023 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |archive-date=June 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617124240/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230612-did-climate-change-cause-canadas-wildfires |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wild-theories">{{cite news |date=June 15, 2023 |title=Who's fuelling the wild theories about Canada's wildfires |publisher=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2227831363616 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |quote=When many fires started at once in Quebec then people took that as evidence of arson, and their claims got millions of views online. These claims were debunked by meteorologist Wagstaffe who explained that a series of lightning strikes can cause many [[smouldering]] hotspots underneath rain-moistened surface fuels; and then when those surface fuels are all dried by the daytime wind simultaneously, then they are all ignited into full blown fires simultaneously. Wagstaffe also corrected the idea that [[controlled burns]] are state-sponsored arson. |archive-date=June 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617022608/https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2227831363616 |url-status=live}}</ref>

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=== Evacuations ===

Estimates of the number of displaced vary. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimated that 185,000 people were displaced, representing 43% of worldwide wildfire-related displacements for 2023. Forty-three thousand of those were in Alberta, and 59,000 were in British Columbia.<ref name="d308"/> The State of Wildfires report estimated that 232,000 were evacuated.<ref name="v065">{{cite journal | last=Jones | first=Matthew W. | last2=Kelley | first2=Douglas I. | last3=Burton | first3=Chantelle A. | last4=Di Giuseppe | first4=Francesca | last5=Barbosa | first5=Maria Lucia F. | last6=Brambleby | first6=Esther | last7=Hartley | first7=Andrew J. | last8=Lombardi | first8=Anna | last9=Mataveli | first9=Guilherme | last10=McNorton | first10=Joe R. | last11=Spuler | first11=Fiona R. | last12=Wessel | first12=Jakob B. | last13=Abatzoglou | first13=John T. | last14=Anderson | first14=Liana O. | last15=Andela | first15=Niels | last16=Archibald | first16=Sally | last17=Armenteras | first17=Dolors | last18=Burke | first18=Eleanor | last19=Carmenta | first19=Rachel | last20=Chuvieco | first20=Emilio | last21=Clarke | first21=Hamish | last22=Doerr | first22=Stefan H. | last23=Fernandes | first23=Paulo M. | last24=Giglio | first24=Louis | last25=Hamilton | first25=Douglas S. | last26=Hantson | first26=Stijn | last27=Harris | first27=Sarah | last28=Jain | first28=Piyush | last29=Kolden | first29=Crystal A. | last30=Kurvits | first30=Tiina | last31=Lampe | first31=Seppe | last32=Meier | first32=Sarah | last33=New | first33=Stacey | last34=Parrington | first34=Mark | last35=Perron | first35=Morgane M. G. | last36=Qu | first36=Yuquan | last37=Ribeiro | first37=Natasha S. | last38=Saharjo | first38=Bambang H. | last39=San-Miguel-Ayanz | first39=Jesus | last40=Shuman | first40=Jacquelyn K. | last41=Tanpipat | first41=Veerachai | last42=van der Werf | first42=Guido R. | last43=Veraverbeke | first43=Sander | last44=Xanthopoulos | first44=Gavriil | title=State of Wildfires 2023–2024 | journal=Earth System Science Data | publisher=Copernicus GmbH | volume=16 | issue=8 | date=2024-08-14 | issn=1866-3516 | doi=10.5194/essd-16-3601-2024 | doi-access=free | pages=3601–3685 | display-authors=1| hdl=10871/137179 | hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==== Alberta evacuations ====

Multiple settlements were placed under evacuation orders, resulting in over 29,000 Albertans being evacuated by May 7.<ref name="AP Canada Evacuations" /><ref name="29,000">{{cite news |last1=Salahieh |first1=Nouran |last2=Burnside |first2=Tina |last3=Simonson |first3=Amy |date=May 8, 2023 |title=More than 29,000 people are evacuated from communities throughout Alberta as wildfires rage in Canada |publisher=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/08/weather/alberta-canada-wildfires-monday/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508120802/https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/08/weather/alberta-canada-wildfires-monday/index.html |archive-date=May 8, 2023}}</ref> On May 11, at least 300 members of the [[Canadian Armed Forces]] were sent to different parts of Alberta to help.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mertz |first=Emily |date=May 11, 2023 |title=Alberta wildfires: Where and how are Canadian Armed Forces deployed? |publisher=[[Global News]] |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9690879/alberta-wildfires-where-how-canadian-armed-forces-deployed/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512192131/https://globalnews.ca/news/9690879/alberta-wildfires-where-how-canadian-armed-forces-deployed/ |archive-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref>