Do you think wildfires are only affecting your area? The forest fires of 2021 are proving you to be wrong. From the B.C. wildfires to Ontario forest fires, all the way to wildfires in Arizona, the 2021 wildfire season is turning out to be one of the more intense forest fire seasons fire experts have seen in a few years. Continue reading to learn where these fires are burning and what we can do to help stop them…
Canadian Wildfires 2021
It is not abnormal for Canada to experience wildfires during the summer months but 2021 is turning out to be more than fire officials bargained for. Not only did the forest fire season come early, but the numbers of fires across the nation have been overall higher than previous years.
What is causing forest fires in Canada?
Experts say that we have climate change to thank for this insane 2021 wildfire season in Canada. A combination of drought, heat, and drier fuels is causing longer and more intense wildfires.
The heatwave Canada experienced in late June and early July did not help the situation by drying out the forest fuels even more. Experts say that the drying conditions forests usually see in a month happened in a matter of seven days!
Where are the wildfires in Canada?
BC Wildfires:
How many wildfires are burning in British Columbia?
In British Columbia, there have been 1,145 forest fires so far in 2021. The conditions of these fires are being compared to the province’s 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons, which was B.C.’s worst wildfire season on record. It is taking more than a village to battle these B.C. blazes, with more than 3,000 firefighters putting in their efforts to put them out.
British Columbians are preparing for evacuations.
Currently, the wildfires have forced over 5,000 evacuations across British Columbia. On July 20, the province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency and is encouraging people to prepare for mass evacuations.
How much land has been burning in British Columbia?
There are many fires across the province that are being declared out of control. The Sparks Lake Fire, which is close to Kamloops, is currently the largest burning fire in B.C. Most of these fires are continuing to grow, but due to the heavy smoke, officials can’t say how large the fires are.
Currently, the province has seen over 400,000 hectares scorched so far. [updated July 29]
Help BC Wildfires
Canada has lost over 142 million hectares of trees to forest fires so far in 2021. TreeEra has a goal to replant at least 1 hectare (1,600 trees).
Looking for the BC wildfire map and dashboard? Click here.
For the full list of 2021 wildfires in British Columbia, click here.
British Columbia Wildfires
Wildfires in Saskatchewan:
There have been almost 500 wildfires in Saskatchewan in 2021. Firefighters are currently trying to fight the fire that is burning by Narrow Hills Provincial Park. This fire has burned almost 22,000 hectares of land so far.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is encouraging people to stay indoors because of the poor air quality, to stay off the main highways as it is difficult to drive through the smoke, and to be ready to evacuate their homes with short notice.
For a map of Saskatchewan forest fires, click here.
Forest Fires in Ontario:
Wildfires are burning First Nation communities in Northernwestern Ontario.
More than 150 wildfires are blazing in Ontario near small First Nation communities. Nearly 3,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes by plane. These small communities are currently being burned to the ground because they do not have the resources to fight back. Over 100 firefighters have arrived from Mexico to help Ontario officials battle the flames.
How many forest fires are burning in Ontario?
The number and size of forest fires in Ontario in 2021 is substantially more than average. This year there have been over 900 wildfires so far.
There are currently 151 active wildfires in Ontario. More than 520,00 hectares have been burned by the province’s fires. [updated July 29]
Click here for an interactive map of Ontario’s wildfires.
Ontario Wildfires
Wildfires in the United States 2021
Intense wildfires aren’t just affecting Canada, but all across North America. The United States is experiencing its highest number of fires since 2011. Flames have scorched more than 404,000 hectares across the country so far this year.
What is causing wildfires in America?
Scientists say that a decades-long climate change-fuelled drought in the western United States is drying reservoirs and contributing to a larger wildfire season.
Global heating, a.k.a. climate change, has caused more precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow. This alters the natural water cycle. Lack of precipitation and ‘snowpack’ means that plants across the nation are dry, crispy, and ready to burn.
Where are the fires burning in the United States?
Fires in Oregon:
How much of Oregon has burned in forest fires in 2021?
Because of an abnormally dry spring, Oregon’s wildfire season got off to an early start. More than 1000 fires have burned at least 200,500 hectares across the state.
The Bootleg Fire in Oregon:
Oregon’s worst 2021 forest fire is the Bootleg Fire. It has grown to destroy over 162,000 hectares. It is currently the largest wildfire in Oregon history and the largest blaze currently burning in the U.S.
Click here for a full list of Oregon wildfires.
California Wildfires:
How many fires are burning in California?
A total of 5,556 fires have been recorded in 2021, burning roughly 185,600 hectares across the state of California. At least 323 buildings have been destroyed by the wildfires, and at least 7 firefighters have been severely injured battling the flames. [updated July 28, 2021]
For a full 2021 wildfire map in California, click here.
Beckwourth Complex Fire, California
Fires in Washington:
How many fires are burning in Washington?
Washington had more than 630 wildfires burning by the first week of July 2021. This is apparently on par with the state’s record-breaking 2015 wildfire season. Washington fires have spread across 15,500 hectares of land.
What is causing wildfires in Washington?
All of eastern Washington has been classified by the United States Drought Monitor as “abnormally dry” with moderate to severe drought conditions. The fires sparked after the state experienced intense lighting storms.
View Washington’s wildfire map here.
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Arizona Wildfires:
What is causing wildfires in Arizona?
Arizona wildfires have been fuelled by droughts, hot temperatures, and thunderstorms producing extremely dry lightning.
How much land has been burned in Arizona fires?
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, Arizona has the most fires and largest acreage burned of any state so far in 2021. As of midway through July 2021, nearly 200,000 hectares have been burned in at least 1,100 fires.
Rafael Fire, Arizona
The Rafael Fire is burning in the Prescott National Forest after numerous dry thunderstorms.
Click here for a full list of wildfires in Arizona, 2021.
Arizona Forest Fires
Colorado Fires:
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, at least 11,296 hectares of land have burned in at least 337 wildland fires across the state. [updated July 10, 2021]
Even though most of Colorado’s fires have been caused by lightning, officials are enforcing strict fire bans in Colorado.
Click here for a full list of wildfires in Colorado.
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2021 Wildfires Around The World
Wildfires in Europe:
Italy Fires
Italy has registered almost 13,000 more wildfires in 2021 than in 2020.
Wildfire in Bonarcardo, Sardinia
Recently, a wildfire started near the village of Bonarcardo, Sardinia. The cause of the fire has not yet been made clear but experts have explained that wildfires are common in the summer because of the hot southwestern winds. This fire is one of the largest wildfires in decades, causing over 1,000 residents and tourists to be evacuated.
Over 20,000 hectares have been scorched, destroying farms, villages, and vegetation in the area. Despite emergency workers’ efforts to same them, hundreds of sheep, goats, cows, and pigs died after being trapped at farms in the fires’ path. Along with the animals, a thousand-year-old olive tree that was the symbol of the hilltop village of Cuglieri was destroyed by the fire.
Attica, Greece Forest Fires
In May 2021, wildfires in Attica, Greece, caused the evacuation of several villages and monasteries.
Fire in Limassol, Cyprus
In July 2021, a huge wildfire spread through Limassol, Cyprus, unfortunately killing four people and forcing the evacuation of many villages. This was described as the worst wildfire in the country’s history.
Wildfires in Africa:
Table Mountain Fire, South Africa
The 2021 Table Mountain fire, also known as the Rhodes Memorial fire or Cape Town fire, is a large fire that started on April 18, 2021, in and around Table Mountain National Park, South Africa. This fire has burned almost 400 hectares. Five firefighters have been hospitalized due to burn injuries.
South African Firefighter in Table Mountain Park
Wildfires in Asia:
2020-21 Dzรผko Valley Forest Fires
The 2020โ21 Dzรผko Valley wildfires occurred in the states of Nagaland and Manipur in northeast India, beginning on December 29, 2020. This wildfire resulted in environmental damage in the sensitive region of the Dzรผko Valley. Dzรผko Valley hosts a large variety of flora and fauna, including the Dzรผko Lily, which is indigenous to the valley and not found anywhere else. The fire also destroyed 80 hectares of old-growth trees.
2021 Similipal Forest Fires
The 2021 Similipal forest fires is an ongoing forest fire, occurring in the Indian state of Odisha. The fires have affected the ecologically sensitive Similipal Biosphere Reserve (which is Asia’s second-largest biosphere reserve). Although most of the fires are under control, many areas of the park are still burning.
What Can We Do To Help Forest Fires?
Let’s Plant Trees!
TreeEra wants to replant trees that were lost to wildfires in 2021. We might be starting small with our goal of 1,600 trees, but we are starting somewhere!
