Canadian wildfires have burned 34 million acres, new data shows

The fires have burned an area the size of Louisiana this year, making it the most severe season on record.

Canadian wildfires have now burned almost 34 million acres of land, according to new data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) as of Aug. 16.

Fires have been burning out of control across the country in 2023, making it Canada’s worst wildfire season on record by far. Thick smoke drifting south from the fires has been an ever-present feature in parts of the northern United States, reducing visibility and air quality at times. Smoke even traveled as far as western Europe.

This year has continued to break records throughout the summer. Before 2023, the previous record for acres burned was just under 18 million, set in 1995. This year has almost doubled that total already.

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The fires have burned a total of 33,799,474 acres as of Aug. 16, greater than the area of Louisiana. The acres burned in 2023 have already surpassed the total for 2022 by over 30 million acres. Last year, just under 3 million acres burned.

Quebec has been the most affected province, with almost 13 million acres burned so far this year, according to the CIFFC. The total is rising quickly — on June 24, just over a month and a half ago, Quebec had recorded just over 6 million acres burned.

Although Quebec has suffered the highest acreage burned, British Columbia has recorded the highest number of individual fires with 1,809. Alberta is a distant second with 886 fires this year.

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