Today marks the end of the 2023 wildland fire season which saw more than 700 fires and 441,000 hectares of forests burned between April and October.
That is almost 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,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry in a news release.
Over the course of the season, Ontario also deployed equipment and more than 600 fire management personnel to support Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Quebec, Yukon, Nova Scotia, and Minnesota in their firefighting efforts.
In return, 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.
See: Fedeli believes forest fire fighting funding is vital
Ontario coordinates the protection of 90 million hectares of Crown land in Ontario.
During the 2023 season, there were 741 fires – 51 fires more than the 10-year average – and 441,474 hectares of forests were burned.
