Canada is at risk of another devastating wildfires like the blazes that choked ... trends now
The Canadian federal government has warned the country could face another wildfire season because of unusually warm weather.
The word of caution was provided by Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan on Parliament Hill Wednesday, on the heels of an uncharacteristically warm winter.
He said that more dry, hot weather is expected this spring and summer, putting much of the country at heightened risk.
Widespread drought and a forecast of above-normal temperatures will also play a factor, he said - warning the summer months ahead have the potential to be more disastrous than last year's.
The country's wildfire season lasts through May through October. Last year, the blazes were so widespread, a blanket of smog enveloped much of the US. Canada, moreover, is home to 9 percent of the world's forests - potential fuel for future fire, Sajjan said.
Scroll down for video:
The Canadian federal government warned Wednesday that the country could face another wildfire season because of unusually warm weather
The word of caution was provided by Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan at a presser on Parliament Hill, on the heels of an uncharacteristically warm winter
" class="c7" scrolling="no"
'With the heat and dryness across the country, we can expect that the wildfire season will start sooner and end later, and potentially be more explosive,' Sajjan said.
'It is impossible to predict the summer that lies ahead of us, but what is clear is that wildfires will represent a significant challenge for Canada into the future as the impacts of climate change continue to intensify.
'And the costs to Canadians are growing every single year,' he continued, stressing that the likelihood of another blaze largely depends on the level of precipitation seen during these important spring and summer months.
During this span, regions like southern Quebec, eastern Ontario and Western Canada, will have a higher-than-usual likelihood of fire, Sajjan said - citing recent drought conditions and an abundance of timber
Last year's wildfire season was the most destructive in recorded history, he repeatedly reiterated, reminding reporters how more than 6,000 fires burned during the catastrophe this past summer.
It saw some 37million acres of forest burned, and hundreds of thousands of Canadians evacuated from their homes.
Linking the issue to climate change - as his predecessors did last year - the minister warned this year could be just as devastating, if not worse.
Last year, federal ministers had warned climate change was contributing to more extreme weather events, including wildfires like the ones that wreaked havoc for several months.
Smoke billows upwards from a planned ignition by firefighters tackling the Donnie Creek Complex wildfire south of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada June 3, 2023. Sajjan said that dry weather is expected this spring and summer, putting much of the country at risk
Widespread drought and a forecast of above-normal temperatures will also play a factor, he said - warning the summer months ahead have the potential to be more disastrous than that of last year's
The country's wildfire season lasts through May through October. Last year, the blazes were so widespread, a blanket of smog enveloped much of the US
Canada , moreover, is home to 9 percent of the world's forests - potential fuel for future fire, Sajjan said.
'With the heat and dryness across the country, we can expect that the wildfire season will start sooner and end later, and
