Ontario marks end of ‘challenging’ 2023 wildfire season

The Ontario government marked the end of its wildfire season yesterday, which saw more than 700 fires and 441,000 hectares of forests burned between April and October – nearly three times as many hectares as the 10-year average.

“Ontario’s FireRangers and other emergency management staff worked bravely and tirelessly to fight wildland fires during one of the most challenging fire seasons Ontario and Canada has ever faced,” Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, said in a news release. “I’m thankful for their hard work and proud of the incredible dedication they show every day on the job as they protect our communities and natural resources.”

This year Ontario received assistance from 104 fire personnel from Mexico, Idaho and the Canadian Forest Service, as well as firefighting aircraft from Minnesota and the Northwest Territories, the government said.

The province also deployed equipment and more than 600 fire management personnel to support Alberta, B.C., N.W.T., Quebec, Yukon, Nova Scotia and Minnesota this year.

Ontario recently invested an additional $20.5 million over three years to enhance fire suppression technologies, hire and train critical fire staff and help better understand fire science and behaviour.