wildfires

Christie Tucker of Alberta Wildfire says the province has never seen this much wildfire activity in recorded history.

Light rainfall and cooler temperatures slowed down wildfire activity in Alberta over the long weekend and more rain that's in the forecast may help firefighters catch a breath during a record-breaking season of fires.

In some corners of Alberta, there are whispers that the military’s presence has nothing to do with the fires.

Experts say shifting factors including wildfires in Alberta, a slowing economy and potential pressures on supply will all have an effect on gas prices as the long weekend heralds the start of the summer.

Colonialism causes climate change, and Indigenous rights are the solution — a tagline for Indigenous Climate Action that has taken new meaning following Alberta and Saskatchewan's wildfire crisis.

The mayor of a west-central Alberta town said it was emotional to return home nearly two weeks after an out-of-control wildfire forced residents to flee, but thousands elsewhere remain on edge as scores of fires continue to rage across much of the West.

An air-quality expert says smoky skies over British Columbia have become the norm over the past few summers, but not everyone seems aware of the serious health hazards it represents.

Air quality statements continue to blanket much of British Columbia and the Prairie provinces as scores of wildfires rage.

Wildfires have prompted the City of Fort St. John, B.C., to tell all of its roughly 21,000 residents to get ready to leave on short notice, while the Peace River Regional District has issued an evacuation order for a large rural area to the north.

United Conservative Leader Danielle Smith says she will consider making changes amid questions over whether she is politicizing Alberta’s wildfire crisis by using party news conferences to deliver fire updates meant for the broader public.

Wildfire officials in Alberta say hot, dry and windy weather has pushed fire conditions even further into the extreme in the province's north this weekend, and the situation in the south is now a growing concern.

Indigenous Services Canada says wildfires are threatening nine First Nations in Alberta, including the Little Red River Cree Nation, where more than 100 structures have been lost in the community of Fox Creek.

The Alberta government says fire danger continues to be extreme in most of the province except the Rockies, where lower danger levels were expected.

Alberta's 2019 decision to cancel funding for an elite wildfire-fighting crew in 2019 came despite pleas to keep the Rapattack program from at least three municipalities, including one that has since been evacuated during this spring's blazes.

Rain and cooler temperatures in northeastern British Columbia will help suppression efforts for two out-of-control wildfires, but high temperatures forecast for later this week may pose a new threat, says a BC Wildfire Service spokesman.