Ontario saw more than 475 fires and nearly 90,000 hectares burned this summer as the 2024 wildland fire season ends today.
Fires were down compared to the 10-year average of 694 fires and 201,781 hectares burned.
"While the fire season was less active than in recent years, the province’s fire crews were kept busy helping other Canadian provinces," says an MNR news release.
“I’m proud and thankful for the work of Ontario’s FireRangers who bravely protect people and communities from wildland fire,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources. “Not only did our highly skilled FireRangers, pilots, and staff behind the scenes provide crucial support here at home, they also helped our partners across Canada, sharing expertise when they were needed.”
Over the course of the season, Ontario was also able to deploy equipment, 14 aircraft, and more than 780 fire management personnel, to support Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories in their firefighting efforts. Ontario participates in agreements with its provincial, territorial, federal, and international partners that allow for the sharing of personnel, equipment, and aircraft between agencies during periods of escalated wildland fire activity.
From April through October, wildland firefighting staff provide critical emergency services to detect and suppress wildland fires across Ontario.
This year marks 100 years of the Ontario Provincial Air Service (OPAS). In its first year of operations in 1924, the OPAS found 597 wildland fires and logged 2,597 flying hours with their fleet of 13 Curtiss H2SL Flying Boats – the equivalent of flying around the world seven times.
