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Canada wildfires 2024: Images show wildfire season roaring to a start in Western Canada

corné van hoepen
Editor, Yahoo News Canada
  • <p>An image taken through a window shows smoke rising from mutual aid wildfire HTZ001 in the High Level Forest Area, which originated from the Northwest Territories in 2023 but flared due to strong winds, near Indian Cabins, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024.</p>
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    Smoke rises from mutual aid wildfire in the High Level Forest Area

    An image taken through a window shows smoke rising from mutual aid wildfire HTZ001 in the High Level Forest Area, which originated from the Northwest Territories in 2023 but flared due to strong winds, near Indian Cabins, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024.

  • <p>FILE PHOTO: The Parker Lake wildfire glows in an aerial photograph taken by a B.C. Emergency Health Services crew member through the window of an airplane evacuating patients from nearby Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.</p>
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    The Parker Lake wildfire glows in an aerial photograph taken by a B.C. Emergency Health Services crew member

    FILE PHOTO: The Parker Lake wildfire glows in an aerial photograph taken by a B.C. Emergency Health Services crew member through the window of an airplane evacuating patients from nearby Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.

  • <p>A view shows a campsite set up in a field for evacuees, after an evacuation order was declared due to the proximity of a wildfire in Yellowknife, outside of High Level, Alberta, Canada August 18, 2023.</p>
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    Wildfire evacuations in Yellowknife

    A view shows a campsite set up in a field for evacuees, after an evacuation order was declared due to the proximity of a wildfire in Yellowknife, outside of High Level, Alberta, Canada August 18, 2023.

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  • <p>Alberta Premier Danielle Smith watches as Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker gives an update on the Alberta wildfire situation, in Edmonton on Wednesday May 15, 2024.</p>
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    Alberta Premier Danielle Smith watches Alberta Wildfire information unit manager give update

    Alberta Premier Danielle Smith watches as Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker gives an update on the Alberta wildfire situation, in Edmonton on Wednesday May 15, 2024.

  • <p>Perlie LaRocque, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, tries to get her dog Cookie to try a new dog bed at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024 as her daughter Frankie looks on. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
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    Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuations

    Perlie LaRocque, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, tries to get her dog Cookie to try a new dog bed at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024 as her daughter Frankie looks on. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.

  • <p>Kristen Leer, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, stops for a photo at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Leer said as a quadriplegic she is impressed with how the province is treating people with disabilities. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
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    Kristen Leer says as a quadriplegic, she is impressed with how the province is treating people with disabilities.

    Kristen Leer, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, stops for a photo at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Leer said as a quadriplegic she is impressed with how the province is treating people with disabilities. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.

  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

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  • <p>A view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C. is shown on Monday, May 13, 2024 in a BC Wildfire Service handout photo. British Columbia's wildfire service says there's potential for gusty winds to fan aggressive fire behaviour in the north, where out-of-control have forced several thousand people to leave their homes.</p>
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    A view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C.

    A view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C. is shown on Monday, May 13, 2024 in a BC Wildfire Service handout photo. British Columbia's wildfire service says there's potential for gusty winds to fan aggressive fire behaviour in the north, where out-of-control have forced several thousand people to leave their homes.

  • <p>A pumper truck sprays fire retardant on trees around the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</p>
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    Pumper truck sprays fire retardant on trees in evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta.

    A pumper truck sprays fire retardant on trees around the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

  • <p>Police vehicles block the entrance to the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</p>
    9/13

    Police block entrance to evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill, Fort McMurray, Alta.

    Police vehicles block the entrance to the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

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  • <p>Smoke rises from mutual aid wildfire GCU007 in the Grande Prairie Forest Area near TeePee Creek, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024.</p>
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    Smoke rises from mutual aid wildfire in the Grande Prairie Forest Area

    Smoke rises from mutual aid wildfire GCU007 in the Grande Prairie Forest Area near TeePee Creek, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024.

  • <p>An extreme fire warning sign is shown along Highway 97 toward Fort Nelson outside the Charlie Lake Fire Hall near Fort St. John, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
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    An extreme fire warning sign is shown along Highway 97 toward Fort Nelson

    An extreme fire warning sign is shown along Highway 97 toward Fort Nelson outside the Charlie Lake Fire Hall near Fort St. John, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.

  • <p>Karen Nicolai, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, rests at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John , B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
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    Karen Nicolai, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, rests at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John , B.C.

    Karen Nicolai, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, rests at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John , B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.

  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

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  • <p>The wildfire forcing thousands to evacuate from a northeast British Columbia town has doubled again in size as the blaze grows merely a few kilometres west of city limits. The Aurora Borealis shines overhead of a B.C. Conservation Officer Service vehicle near the junction of highways 97 and 77, as a wildfire burns in the background near Fort Nelson, B.C., in a Saturday, May 11, 2024, handout photo. </p>
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    Northern lights shine behind Fort Nelson wildfire

    The wildfire forcing thousands to evacuate from a northeast British Columbia town has doubled again in size as the blaze grows merely a few kilometres west of city limits. The Aurora Borealis shines overhead of a B.C. Conservation Officer Service vehicle near the junction of highways 97 and 77, as a wildfire burns in the background near Fort Nelson, B.C., in a Saturday, May 11, 2024, handout photo.

<p>An image taken through a window shows smoke rising from mutual aid wildfire HTZ001 in the High Level Forest Area, which originated from the Northwest Territories in 2023 but flared due to strong winds, near Indian Cabins, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024.</p>
<p>FILE PHOTO: The Parker Lake wildfire glows in an aerial photograph taken by a B.C. Emergency Health Services crew member through the window of an airplane evacuating patients from nearby Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.</p>
<p>A view shows a campsite set up in a field for evacuees, after an evacuation order was declared due to the proximity of a wildfire in Yellowknife, outside of High Level, Alberta, Canada August 18, 2023.</p>
<p>Alberta Premier Danielle Smith watches as Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker gives an update on the Alberta wildfire situation, in Edmonton on Wednesday May 15, 2024.</p>
<p>Perlie LaRocque, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, tries to get her dog Cookie to try a new dog bed at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024 as her daughter Frankie looks on. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
<p>Kristen Leer, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, stops for a photo at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Leer said as a quadriplegic she is impressed with how the province is treating people with disabilities. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
<p>A view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C. is shown on Monday, May 13, 2024 in a BC Wildfire Service handout photo. British Columbia's wildfire service says there's potential for gusty winds to fan aggressive fire behaviour in the north, where out-of-control have forced several thousand people to leave their homes.</p>
<p>A pumper truck sprays fire retardant on trees around the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</p>
<p>Police vehicles block the entrance to the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</p>
<p>Smoke rises from mutual aid wildfire GCU007 in the Grande Prairie Forest Area near TeePee Creek, Alberta, Canada May 10, 2024.</p>
<p>An extreme fire warning sign is shown along Highway 97 toward Fort Nelson outside the Charlie Lake Fire Hall near Fort St. John, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
<p>Karen Nicolai, a Fort Nelson, B.C. evacuee, rests at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John , B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. Wildfires are forcing more people to evacuate their homes in dry and windy northeastern B.C.</p>
<p>The wildfire forcing thousands to evacuate from a northeast British Columbia town has doubled again in size as the blaze grows merely a few kilometres west of city limits. The Aurora Borealis shines overhead of a B.C. Conservation Officer Service vehicle near the junction of highways 97 and 77, as a wildfire burns in the background near Fort Nelson, B.C., in a Saturday, May 11, 2024, handout photo. </p>

Wildfire season is roaring to a start with dozens of wildfires being reported across British Columbia and Alberta, with thousands facing mandatory evacuation orders.

In Fort Nelson, B.C., about 4,700 people are out of their homes. Roughly 6,600 residents have been evacuated out of parts of Fort McMurray, Alta., while the rest of the city remains on evacuation alert. And a fire near Cranberry Portage, Man., has forced out about 500 residents, according to reports by The Canadian Press.

The report shares that B.C. Wildfire Service says fires this year have already burned through more than 2,300 square kilometres.

That's already enough to place 2024 in the middle of rankings for total amounts burned in entire years since 2008.

Dry conditions in both provinces raise fears of fires sparking and spreading further.

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