A year of fighting wildfires, building community resilience
By Province of British Columbia
B.C. expertise helps lead future of wildland firefighting in Canada
In 2025, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) worked tirelessly with people and communities to fight wildfires and build community resilience throughout the province.
“We’re coming off our second-worst wildfire season in Canadian history,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “From technology to equipment and training, all to protect people and communities, the BC Wildfire Service has shown us that they are a global leader in wildfire work. Thanks to the dedicated members working tirelessly to fight the threat of wildfire. In 2026, we will raise the bar even higher.”
2025 B.C. wildfire summary
Wildfires are a reality on the landscape in British Columbia and across Canada. The Province is continuing to build on the lessons learned by implementing wildfire predictive technology, using night-vision resources and working collaboratively with local, national and international partners to ensure a more resilient future.
Since April 1, 2025, more than 1,350 wildfires burned an estimated 886,360 hectares of land in B.C. The 2025 season compared to the past five years:
- 2024: 1,697 wildfires, 1,081,159 hectares burned
- 2023: 2,293 wildfires, 2,840,104 hectares burned
- 2022: 1,801 wildfires, 135,235 hectares burned
- 2021: 1,647 wildfires, 869,300 hectares burned
- 2020: 670 wildfires, 14, 536 hectares burned
Wildfires this season resulted in 42 evacuation orders, which affected approximately 2,600 properties and 91 evacuation alerts, which affected approximately 6,950 properties.
- 2024: 51 orders issued, 112 alerts
- 2023: 208 orders issued, 386 alerts
- 2022: 15 orders issued, 43 alerts
- 2021: 181 orders issued, 304 alerts
- 2020: three orders issued, nine alerts
“People’s lives are increasingly being impacted by the effects of climate change and we must be proactive in how we prepare for climate-driven emergencies,” said Kelly Greene, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “Our first priority is to protect people and ensure that communities have the tools and resources they need to stay safe during emergencies.”
Supporting partners
Canada faced its second-worst season in history of area burned, with more than eight million hectares lost countrywide. In 2025, the BCWS deployed personnel and equipment to six provinces and one territory, deploying to more out-of-province locations than any previous season, including:
- Yukon
- Alberta
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
- Ontario
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
In January 2025, the BCWS also supported California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the U.S. Forest Service in response to multiple fires in California, including the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires. BCWS personnel contributed to both management expertise and front-line firefighting capacity as part of the ongoing commitment to mutual aid and international wildfire response.
National wildfire symposium
Canada’s forests and communities are facing increasingly severe wildfire seasons that have devastated ecosystems, displaced people and strained national capacity. To meet these challenges, B.C. hosted a National Wildfire Symposium that brought together national and international experts, provincial, federal and territorial governments, as well as key industry and Indigenous partners with the goal of sharing best practices and enhancing a national framework for wildfire resilience.
Discussions included:
- building a stronger national strategy for responding to and preventing wildfire
- lessons from the 2025 wildfire season in B.C. and across Canada
- unique insights in prevention, suppression, recovery and adaptation
- new investments into better technology and equipment for wildland firefighting
B.C. leading in research and innovation
B.C. is exploring new technologies, approaches and research opportunities to build safer, more resilient communities. This includes:
- research into the health impacts of wildfire smoke, ash and dust to wildland firefighters
- evaluating automated wildfire risk and fire growth modelling software to enhance wildfire planning and response
- studying the best ways to create FireSmart structures and communities
Ahead of the 2026 wildfire season, the Province will continue to identify new technologies and opportunities for better prevention and response. B.C. will also continue to hire and train wildfire personnel, and to research ways to build a safer, more resilient B.C. Through a range of research partnerships and a commitment to innovation, the BC Wildfire Service will continue to focus on the health, wellness and safety of wildland firefighters, as well as the natural science related to wildland fire behaviour.
Learn More:
- To read the 2025 wildfire season summary, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/about-bcws/wildfire-history/wildfire-season-summary?
- Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy – A 10-year review and renewed call to action: https://www.ccfm.org/releases/canadian-wildland-fire-strategy-a-10-year-review-and-renewed-call-to-action/
- Wildland Fire Management Working Group – Action Plan 2021–2026: https://www.ccfm.org/releases/wildland-fire-management-working-group-action-plan-2021-2026/
- Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation Strategy: https://www.ccfm.org/releases/canadian-wildland-fire-prevention-and-mitigation-strategy/
- To learn more about evacuation orders, visit: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/
Actions taken to better fight wildfires in B.C.
Increased hiring and year-round staff
- The BC Wildfire Service has seen the number of permanent full-time staff increase by more than 56%, with further expansions planned.
- Ahead of the 2025 season, BC Wildfire Service had more than 600 year-round positions to enhance operational readiness.
- These positions include fire crew leaders and front-line staff, who work in structure protection, prevention and risk reduction, as well as wildfire land-based recovery.
Night-vision capability
- The BC Wildfire Service doubled the size of its night-vision capable fleet to four helicopters.
- More Night Vision Imaging Systems flight officers were trained to safely support night operations.
- Two hundred and sixty missions were completed provincially, including wildfire detection, reconnaissance and water delivery.
Prevention investments
As part of the Budget 2025, $40 million was allocated to the BC Wildfire Service to support programs that support resiliency, including wildfire risk-reduction projects, cultural and prescribed fire, FireSmart initiatives, and more. This work includes:
- completing nearly 200 wildfire risk-reduction projects treating approximately 2,440 hectares of land, including 16 prescribed burns covering an additional 790 hectares
- Firesmart funding allocated to 280 communities around B.C., including 132 First Nations and 148 local governments
Predictive technology
Advancements in the development of a provincewide wildfire camera network with AI-assisted smoke detection to enhance situational awareness, improve operational response and provide data for wildfire research. The joint research project with UBC Okanagan co-ordinated with communities, local government, First Nations and industry to identify potential new locations for camera monitoring throughout B.C.
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