wildfires

Picture of three firefighters using blowtorches to create and monitor a controlled burn in the forest
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We need an Indigenous approach to wildfire control

Jonah Lazar August 3, 2026

For many people in the north of Turtle Island (Canada), the summer has become synonymous with the fire season. Forest fires wipe out entire towns and have displaced thousands across the country, leaving many communities wondering when it will be their turn. Over the past five decades, there’s been twice as much land victim to wildfire in northern Turtle Island, and it has been commonplace for these fires to cross over into towns and people’s homes. Three years ago, nearly 50,000 people were evacuated from their homes in a record-breaking fire season in BC. On July 7, the Namaygoosisagagun (Collins)…

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A fire burning on the side of a road
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Wildfires burn across BC

Michelle Young July 26, 2026

BC summers bring an elevated risk of wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, and this summer is no exception. As of July 24, evacuation orders have been issued for multiple communities in the interior, including a fire in the Thompson-Nicola Regional…

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A bird’s-eye view of Burnaby Mountain, where you can see the SFU Burnaby campus, is pictured during sunset.
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Burnaby Mountain’s wildfire prevention system to undergo revamp

Heidi Kwok February 10, 2026

On January 14, the City of Burnaby announced they will be investing in an “autonomous early wildfire detection system” for Burnaby Mountain to address growing wildfire risks amid warmer and drier summers. The Peak interviewed Scott Alleyn, chief staff officer…

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This is a photo of a recent wildfire in BC. It is a birds-eye view shot very high up in the air, where lots of smoke is coming from burning areas in the land.
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Wildfire smoke may increase in toxicity as it travels

Noeka Nimmervoll November 8, 2025

For BC residents, the end of this summer brings the highest risk of fires of the entire wildfire season, and the health effects of its smoke are becoming clearer. On September 3, Vancouver hosted the worst air quality from all…

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Photograph of a forest with charred trees and thick smoke.
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As long as fossil fuel companies exist, we are all vulnerable to wildfires

Yildiz Subuk February 21, 2025

We are all susceptible to the volatility of the climate. January 7 marked the beginning of one of the most devastating wildfires that would eventually grow and spread across Los Angeles. Starting in the Pacific Palisades, the climate disaster displaced…

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A smokey forest, after a fire
6 min 0 1841

Climate change fuels human-caused wildfires too

Olivia Visser October 12, 2023

You don’t have to look far to find news about wildfires impacting communities across Canada. It seems like every year BC experiences its “worst wildfire season” on record, and the issue isn’t just local. Greece, Spain, and Hawaiʻi endured devastating…

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Political Corner: World leaders can’t continue to shrug off wildfires while courting Big Coal

Kelly Grounds January 26, 2020

Last year, the world watched as forest fires in the Amazon led to some of the worst environmental damage the world has seen in recent decades. Throughout all of the devastation, there was a hope through multinational cooperation that we…

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