As of October 6,6,551 fires had burned 184,961 square kilometres (71,414 sq mi),[2] about 5% of the entire forest area of Canada,[8] and more than six times the long-term average of 27,300 square kilometres (10,541 sq mi) for that time of the year.[1] As of mid-October, the total area burnt was more than 2.5 times the previous record.[9] Six people died due to the wildfires, and as of July, approximately 150,000 people had been evacuated.[4] International aid helped reduce the impact of the fires.[10][11]
Smoke emitted from the wildfires caused air quality alerts and evacuations in Canada and the United States.[12] In late June, the smoke crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reaching Europe.[13][14] Many of the largest fires were under control by July, including fires which had funnelled smoke into the Eastern Seaboard. However, significant fires continued well into the fall season, with several major fires breaking out in September.[15] Moderate-to-severe drought conditions from British Columbia to northern Ontario also continued into fall.[16]
^ abCite error: The named reference SitArchive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcd"Fire Statistics". Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference WaPo 2023-10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).