Large-scale wildfires are currently raging in central and western Canada. The provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are particularly affected, where a state of emergency was declared on May 28 due to the ongoing fires. More than 17,000 people have had to be evacuated so far – the largest evacuation measure in the history of the province [1,3].
A total of 22 active fires are currently registered in Manitoba. These are endangering remote settlements and indigenous communities. At the beginning of the week, around 1,000 members of indigenous communities and around 4,000 other people from villages were evacuated to safety. Due to limited accessibility, some of these places can only be evacuated by air [1].
The provincial government has set up emergency shelters in the capital Winnipeg, including in sports and community centers. The population is being asked to provide evacuees with private accommodation where possible in order to relieve the pressure on emergency shelters; at the same time, Premier Kinew is calling for social solidarity and support from businesses and communities. The military is supporting the evacuation and firefighting efforts in hard-to-reach areas – the situation remains tense [1,2].
The authorities are reporting an unusually early and intense forest fire season. With 102 fires registered so far, the number is well above the long-term average of 77. For the first time, the fires are affecting all regions of Manitoba. The cause of the forest fires is the exceptional
(Status: 02.06.2025, 10:00 CEST)
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[1] Tagesschau (2025) Tausende müssen vor Waldbränden in Kanada fliehen. Accessed: 02.06.2025 at: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/amerika/walbraende-kanada-100.html
[2] Zeit (2025) Waldbrände in Kanada erreichen weitere Provinzen. Accessed: 02.06.2025 at: https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2025-05/kanada-waldbraende-weitere-provinzen-betroffen
[3] FAZ (2025) Kanada kämpft gegen unkontrollierte Waldbrände. Accessed: 02.06.2025 at: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/ungluecke/waldbraende-in-kanada-situation-ausser-kontrolle-110510045.html
(Image source: Tagesschau und HANDOUT/dpa)