Climate change is making the phenomenon of “zombie fires” increasingly common in Canada. As a result, many forests are under threat, and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate.
Even in winter, many wildfires in Canada still occur. This is known as the “zombie fire” phenomenon, where fires can ignite quietly, even beneath a thick layer of snow.
A wildfire at Ross Moore Lake, British Columbia, Canada in July 2023 (Photo: Getty).
According to meteorologists, the combination of warmer winters and enhanced dry air in 2023 has created favorable conditions for wildfires to erupt this spring.
Experts also noted that “zombie fires” were not very common in the past but are becoming more prevalent amid climate change, which is warming the atmosphere and leading to more extreme weather events.
The consequence is that extreme fire belts stretching from the far western province of British Columbia to northern Alberta have experienced numerous large wildfires, while vast areas from the west coast of Canada to Ontario are suffering from prolonged drought.
As of May 13, it is estimated that nearly 100 wildfires have erupted in British Columbia, with another 40 in Alberta. Furthermore, many provinces in the eastern region are also being scorched by large fires. Approximately 3,500 people have had to evacuate to safety as wildfires continue to spread.
Wildfires in Canada surged significantly in 2023 (Photo: WP).
The widespread and early onset of wildfires in Canada has reminded many of the record wildfire season recorded in the country in 2023, which saw firefighting forces working “at full capacity” from around May until the end of October, with approximately 6,500 separate fires.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, about 18.5 million hectares of forest burned in 2023, exceeding the previous high of 7.1 million hectares based on records dating back to 1983.
Sonja Leverkus, a firefighter and ecologist at the University of British Columbia, stated: “I have never experienced a snowstorm that smelled like wildfire. But now, they are becoming common.”
“People often refer to the period from May to September as the wildfire season in Canada, but the fires are still not completely extinguished,” the expert explained.
“The flames continue to smolder deep underground, and this phenomenon occurs almost throughout the winter.”
Canadian authorities are also preparing for this year’s wildfire season to be more severe, as climate change brings harsher weather.
“The impacts of climate change are arriving faster than predicted. We are working tirelessly to protect the public under the most extreme conditions,” said Bruce Ralston, Canada’s Minister of Forestry, in a recent statement.
Previously, Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness, called climate change “the number one challenge of our time.”
