Canada wildfires 2024: The latest on active wildfire counts, maps, evacuation orders, air quality and smoke alerts nationwide

As students across Canada head back to school, kids from Jasper must wait to reunite with teachers and friends

Corné van Hoepen
·Editor, Yahoo News Canada
Updated

Kids from Jasper are having to wait a bit longer to get back to school after this summer's devastating wildfires. Officials are rushing to ensure the kids' timely return to class, but with the increasing prevalence of wildfires, flooding and other extreme weather events, experts say school authorities everywhere must be planning for climate-related emergencies.

There are currently more than 700 active wildfires burning nationwide, with Tuesday's hotspot being British Columbia — 292 fires are currently burning across the province, according to official data.

For the latest on active wildfire counts, evacuation order and alerts, and insight into how wildfires are impacting everyday Canadians, scroll below to see our Yahoo Canada live blog.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER4 updates
  • Corné van Hoepen

    Canada's wildfire National Preparedness Level drops to 3: What this means.

    In an update last week, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) reduced the National Preparedness Level (NPL) against wildfires from four to three.

    As summer winds down, bringing cooler temperatures and more moisture, the demand for mobilization is decreasing.

    What does NPL 3 mean?

    Here are the factors that are considered NPL classification — which the service scales from one to five.

    NPL considers:

    • Availability and demand for firefighters or equipment

    • Current environmental conditions

    • Potential for new wildland fires

    • Current active wildland fires

    An NPL classification of three is defined as:

    Wildland fire is increasing within one or more jurisdictions while the demand for mobilization of firefighters and equipment from other jurisdictions is moderate.

    Last week saw the historic deployment of a 10-member team of First Nations firefighters from Atlantic Canada to Alberta. This is the first deployment of an Indigenous firefighting crew in Atlantic Canada.

  • Corné van Hoepen

    Stifling heat wave raises wildfire threat across B.C.

    The Weather Network warns that a prolonged heat wave has the ability to raise the fire danger to high across the southern tier of B.C. over the duration of this week.

    For current B.C. evacuation orders and alerts, click HERE.

    Province-wide, however, the number of active wildfires continues to decline, with fire crews responding to 216 active blazes — 15 per cent of which are classified as out-of-control, according to B.C.'s wildfire dashboard.

    Active wildfire data on the B.C. Wildfire dashboard. (Courtesy: BC Wildfire Service)
    Active wildfire data on the B.C. Wildfire dashboard. (Courtesy: BC Wildfire Service)

    B.C. Wildfire Service has reported over 1,500 fires across the province this season, which are collectively responsible for burning more than one-million hectares of land. Nearly three-quarters of those fires were started by lightning. There were 30 out-of-control fires burning in the province as of September 1.

  • Corné van Hoepen

    'Not going to be a normal school year': Jasper students at home as Canadians flock back to school

    Kids from Jasper are waiting a bit longer to get back to school in the wake of the summer's devastating wildfires that destroyed a major portion of the town.

    Jasper's schools are set to reopen Sept. 17, mere weeks later than scheduled, due to everyone's drive to get school buildings ready ASAP for the approximately 470 students from K-12, said Carolyn Lewis-Shillington, chief superintendent of the Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD).

    Officials are rushing to ensure the kids' timely return to class, but with the increasing prevalence of wildfires, flooding and other extreme weather events, experts say school authorities everywhere must be planning for climate-related emergencies.

    Ventilation systems were switched off remotely during evacuation, but ash and smoke from the fires — which destroyed more than 350 of Jasper's 1,113 buildings, Parks Canada said — entered through windows left open for cooling during that hot summer stretch. Once officials cleared people to return, Lewis-Shillington said, division facilities staff worked alongside insurers, contractors and specialists to determine how to proceed.

    More than 200 people have spent five- to six-day weeks sanitizing (from wiping down library books to washing every piece of cutlery), cleaning ducts, replacing ceiling tiles, installing air purifiers, UV-cleaning computers, junking irreparable items and more. Restoration costs are estimated at over $10 million, Lewis-Shillington said, with the division paying an insurance deductible of about $500,000.

    A warning sign noting the requirement for personal protective equipment stands outside École Desrochers, a Francophone school in Jasper that shares its site with Jasper Junior and High School. (Courtesy: CBC News))
    A warning sign noting the requirement for personal protective equipment stands outside École Desrochers, a Francophone school in Jasper that shares its site with Jasper Junior and High School. (Courtesy: CBC News))

    GYPSD is also pulling together mental health support from across the small division, which stretches across a large geographic region. Family-school liaison counselors, health navigators and psychologists will be on hand in Jasper and Hinton, Lewis-Shillington said. An outside trauma counselor will also work with and advise staff and teachers.

  • Corné van Hoepen

    National wildfire outlook map Sept. 3: How many fires are currently burning in Canada?

    Active fires in Canada today: 701

    The map below details the locations of wildfires across Canada and classified by status of:

    Red = Out of Control

    Yellow = Being Held

    Blue = Under control

    Purple = Out of Control (Monitored)

    Active wildfires across Canada on Sept. 3, 2024. (Map Credit: Canadian Interagency Forest Fires Centre INC.)
    Active wildfires across Canada on Sept. 3, 2024. (Map Credit: Canadian Interagency Forest Fires Centre INC.)

    New fires today (Sept. 3): 7

    Fires to date in 2024: 5,106

    Area burned to date in 2024 (HA): 5.1M

    Graph detailing number of active wildfires broken down by province. (Graph credit: Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre INC.)
    Graph detailing number of active wildfires broken down by province. (Graph credit: Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre INC.)

    Key Canada wildfire updates on Tuesday:

    🔥 As Jasper preps a later return to class, experts urge more schools to plan for climate emergencies.

    🔥 B.C. heatwave threatens to raise the fire danger to high across the southern tier of the province and will lead to an elevated risk of thunderstorms once again on Tuesday.

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