BC Records Its Second Worst Wildfire Season in History

Photo Credit: ONAFOR/Twitter via CBC News

This year’s wildfire season in BC was disastrous, with more than 1,362 fires and 886,348 hectares burned throughout the summer, according to the BC Wildfire Service. The season has not only left lasting damage across BC – it marks Canada’s second-worst wildfire season in history, rivaled only by the 2023 season.

Wildfire season reached its peak in late June, continuing until the end of October, lasting much longer than usual.

Currently, the main cause of these wildfires has been lightning strikes, which sparked 57 per cent of wildfires and were responsible for 87 per cent of burned BC land, according to the 2025 BC Wildfire season outlook published on Sept 18. Yet, surprisingly, the total number of lightning strikes this summer was below average.

Due to extreme heat and dryness, a series of dry lightning storms occurred from Aug. 28 to Aug. 31, causing 5,925 lightning strikes and igniting 88 new fires in central and southern BC. Additionally, a late-season heatwave occurred in BC from Aug. 21 to Sept. 5, accelerating the drying of forests and reducing moisture in plants. During the same period, 115 daily maximum temperature records were broken throughout the province.

The second leading cause of wildfires this season has been human activity. Exactly 594 wildfires have been started by people this year, mostly in the more populated southern regions of the province. Despite multiple warnings and fire bans issued by the BC Wildfire Service, many people ignore these safety rules.

“It’s important to note that every time we run into a human-caused wildfire, that’s a wildfire that didn’t have to happen,” said fire information officer Ryan Turcot in a CKPG Today interview in 2018. “These human-caused wildfires during periods of heightened fire activity can, in some cases, divert critical resources away from the natural caused wildfires that we can’t prevent.”

According to the BC Wildfire Service, an average of 40 per cent of wildfires from 2024 to now have been caused by humans.

Another major factor fueling the wildfires was the rise of Build-Up Index (BUI) levels in late August to early September. BUI levels measure the amount of fuel (dry plants and shrubs) that is available to be burned. BC Wildfire Service reports that BUI levels increased during September, contrary to their usual pattern of decreasing then. 

“As the warmer, drier conditions come in the south of the province, those fuels become more receptive to ignition, and we'll start to see the fire activity trend toward the southern half of the province,” Jean Strong, a BC Wildfire Service information officer, told CBC News.

The lack of moisture in BC also elevated the Drought Code (DC). DC measures the dryness levels in the forest floor. High DC levels correspond to more dry fuel, leading to easier ignition. DC levels remain well above average at this time of year, especially in central interior BC.

While many different regions in the province are affected by these wildfires, Prince George in northeastern BC has been impacted the most, with about 35 wildfires currently burning. Out of these 35 wildfires, 34 are under control, while one is being held, as of Oct. 25. The Prince George region alone has had 723,817 hectares burned, which is approximately 82 per cent of all wildfires currently burning in the province, according to the BC Wildfire Service, as of Oct. 25. 

 The Etcho River community, near Fort Nelson in northeastern BC, has suffered the most severe damage, with a 280,461-hectare wildfire still burning, as of Oct. 19. The community is facing the largest wildfire of the summer, about 14 times larger than all of the Los Angeles wildfires that occurred in January combined, according to figures from The Guardian.

This enormous blaze is believed to have been caused by overwintering, the phenomenon that involves wildfires burning underground through the winter, then reigniting above ground once temperatures rise. According to the BC Wildfire Service, about 80 fires from 2023 persisted into the 2024 spring season, and about 49 wildfires from 2024 carried on into this year’s fire season.

Scientists believe that overwintering fires are becoming increasingly common due to warmer and drier winters. These persistent fires make it difficult for firefighters to prepare for a new season, since some fires are already burning before spring begins.

Experts say that the rise in overwintering fires is causing extended fire seasons, which continue much longer than what used to be considered normal.

To ensure the safety of the public, the BC Wildfire Service has issued a series of evacuation orders and alerts to towns in immediate danger of wildfires. Alerts notify communities to be prepared to evacuate at any time, while orders call for immediate evacuation. 

The Fort Nelson First Nation village has been issued an evacuation alert from the BC Wildfire Service, and locals affected by the Mount Underwood and Shetland Creek Wildfires have received an evacuation order.

Additionally, the BC Wildfire Service placed fire bans on the Kamloops and Southeast areas of BC to limit wildfires caused by human activity. These bans have since been lifted.

As of Oct. 24, 2025 has only around 31 per cent of the amount of burned land that 2023 saw. 2023 burned 2.89 million hectares of land, making it the worst season BC has ever seen. The province spent over $1.09 billion on costs for firefighting, evacuation response, property damage, and environmental recovery.