Canada reports more than 5,400 wildfires and 4.5 million hectares burned in 2026
Fires forced more than 33,750 people from their homes; the Northwest Territories accounted for over one-third of the area burned nationwide.
Event / data period: 2026-10-15
Published: · Updated:
Canada recorded more than 5,400 wildfires that burned about 4.5 million hectares in 2026, according to a federal update issued October 15. Since April, fires have forced more than 33,750 people from their homes, including over 8,800 people from First Nations communities.
The Northwest Territories accounted for more than one-third of the country’s burned area, while northwestern Ontario and southern British Columbia also faced sustained fire activity. The government said 10 aircraft leased with C$316.7 million over five years flew more than 2,120 hours across nine provinces and territories and made over 14,400 water or retardant drops.
Data
Canada’s 2026 wildfire season
Season totals reported in the federal update issued October 15, 2026.
- Wildfires
- ≥5,400 count
- 2026 · Observed
- Area burned
- ≈4,500,000 hectares
- 2026 · Estimate
- People forced from their homes
- ≥33,750 people
- 2026 · Observed
Methodology
The source states lower bounds for fire and evacuee counts and reports burned area as approximately 4.5 million hectares.
Updated:
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- EnvironmentSuggested
- Preserved editorial category/topic; broad candidate onlywww.canada.ca ↗
Geographic references
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- Canada · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: RegionalEvidence
- Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferredwww.canada.ca ↗