From Coast to Coast: More Than 950 Wildfires Burn Across Canada, 241 Out of Control

Canada is facing a rapidly escalating wildfire season, with more than 950 active fires burning across the country and approximately 241 classified as out of control, according to the latest national wildfire update issued on Saturday, July 18, 2026.

The fires, stretching from the West Coast to the eastern provinces, have triggered widespread air-quality warnings across parts of British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Northwest Territories. Canadian wildfire smoke has also travelled south into major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago and Detroit.

The latest figures show a sharp deterioration within only a few days. Government data released Thursday had recorded approximately 859 active fires, including 113 considered out of control, while more than 2.38 million hectares had burned since the beginning of the season.

Many of the largest fires are concentrated in remote areas of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario, where emergency crews face major challenges because of difficult terrain, limited road access and the vast size of the affected areas.

In British Columbia, approximately 115 wildfires are currently burning, with nearly two-thirds classified as out of control. The BC Wildfire Service said lightning was responsible for most of the new fires.

The latest evacuation order affected around 140 properties near Big Bar Lake and Meadow Lake in the South Cariboo region, while more than 500 firefighters continued suppression operations across the province.

In Manitoba, several uncontrolled fires continue to spread through the northern part of the province. One fire forced approximately 600 residents of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation to leave their homes after expanding to an area of roughly 172 square kilometres.

In the Northwest Territories, nearly 1,300 Fort Simpson residents and around 130 people from Wrigley remain displaced after evacuations began in late June. The wildfire near Fort Simpson remains out of control.

Ontario is among the provinces most severely affected, with nearly 200 active fires and a burned area that has already surpassed the province’s total for all of last year.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said more than 150 firefighting crews and approximately 80 water-bombing aircraft were involved in the response.

An evacuation alert was also expanded to cover 29 communities threatened by a wildfire measuring approximately 550 square kilometres south of Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.

Residents in several communities have been told to prepare to leave immediately if evacuation orders are issued, while the City of Thunder Bay continues to receive evacuees from northern Ontario.

In Nova Scotia, crews are battling an out-of-control wildfire northeast of Halifax that has grown to approximately 14 square kilometres.

A mandatory evacuation order affected between 100 and 150 people in the rural Mooseland Road area, while aircraft and helicopters from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador joined suppression efforts.

Authorities are urging residents in affected regions to monitor emergency alerts, prepare for possible evacuation and limit outdoor activity when air quality deteriorates.

Children, seniors, pregnant people and individuals with heart or respiratory conditions are considered especially vulnerable to wildfire smoke.