But “we are entering the peak of the typical fire season,” Public Safety Canada says.
The remnants of Hurricane Beryl have brought flash floods and destruction to parts of the Maritimes, but federal officials say the storm has also reduced the risk of wildfires in parts of Eastern Canada, at least for now.
Overall, this wildfire season is far less severe than the record-setting year in 2023, but the risk for new fires is still high in particular for B.C., Yukon and Northwest Territories.
So far, the area burned in Canada by forest fires is close to the annual average and “high levels of fire activity” remain “likely this summer,” according to federal government officials.
However, he added, “we are entering the peak of the typical fire season and what we are seeing today is an increase in forest fire activity in general.”
A ban on open fires in or near forests came into force on Thursday and applies to the regions of Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and northern parts of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Mauricie.