Wildfire season is upon B.C., and that means it’s time to brace for smoky skies and ash in the wind. As usual, summertime brings about many fires throughout the province, but officials are sounding the alarm bells about this year’s season. Reportedly, B.C. will face the “highest and most sustained” risk in 2026.
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Wildfire Season in B.C.
At a press conference in Ottawa, parliamentary secretary for the minister of energy and natural resources Corey Hogan said, “Forecasting shows that fire danger across Canada is expected to build through July with British Columbia facing the highest and most sustained fire danger.”
Significant wildfire activity is expected in July, particularly.
BC Wildfire Service has also noted in its Spring 2026 Seasonal Outlook that “the severity of the 2026 wildfire season will largely depend on the amount and frequency of spring (May and June) precipitation.” Areas like the northeast region of B.C. are major areas of concern as they experience ongoing, multi-year drought conditions.
“Even with normal spring precipitation, areas affected by multi-year drought, particularly the Northeast, the Chilcotin and the South Thompson, are expected to carry elevated Drought Code values into spring 2026,” explains the report. “Moderate drought conditions also persist in the Cariboo Fire Centre and the Kamloops Fire Centre more broadly.”
2025 was considered Canada’s second worst wildfire season as almost 90,000 square kilometres were burned as of September 2025. With above normal temperatures expected for most of Canada, B.C. will have to be extra prepared for the 2026 wildfire season.
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