Canada battles record forest fires in western provinces

Wildfires continue to rage across western Canada, with British Columbia and Ontario experiencing one of the most intense fire seasons on record. Lightning storms produced nearly 34,000 strikes last week, igniting dozens of new blazes and prompting 25 evacuation orders in southern British Columbia. Authorities report about 90 active fire fronts, including 139 fires in north‑western Ontario, of which 32 are burning uncontrolled. The federal government has deployed over 5,300 firefighters and roughly 300 aircraft—including water‑bombers, helicopters and evacuation planes—to fight the flames. Extreme heat and prolonged drought are worsening the situation, and air‑quality warnings have been issued for Banff, Alberta and surrounding areas.

Mexico has pledged to send up to 200 firefighters to assist in the coming weeks. Thousands of residents have been forced to abandon their homes this summer, and an estimated 29.5 million acres have burned so far, far exceeding the ten‑year average of 25.5 million acres.