B.C. wildfire season scorched more than 8,800 square kilometres

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s 2025 wildfire season was about a third as destructive as the record-setting season two years earlier.

The Ministry of Forests says in a statement that 8,864 square kilometres of land was scorched by more than 1,350 blazes since April 1.

The area burned was close to the 10-year average of about 8,500 square kilometres, and is lower than the 10,811 square kilometres burned in 2024.

It’s also down significantly from 2023’s record wildfire season, when 2,293 wildfires scorched more than 28,400 square kilometres of land across B.C.

There were 42 wildfire evacuation orders covering about 2,600 properties  in 2025, compared to 51 orders last year and 208 in 2023.

The ministry says while wildfire numbers were lower this year than in the previous two years, the blazes still affected residents throughout B.C.

Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene says in the statement that the province continues to focus on making sure communities have the necessary resources and support during major wildfires.

“People’s lives are increasingly being impacted by the effects of climate change and we must be proactive in how we prepare for climate-driven emergencies,” Greene says.

Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says 2025 was Canada’s second-worst wildfire season overall, and more B.C. wildland firefighters were deployed to other Canadian jurisdictions than any previous season.

“From technology to equipment and training, all to protect people and communities, the BC Wildfire Service has shown us that they are a global leader in wildfire work,” Parmar says, adding the group continues to learn from their experience to “raise the bar even higher.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2025.