Alberta ends wildfire season with more fires but less area burned than last year

Alberta has declared the end of its wildfire season, reporting over 1,210 wildfires in 2024, an increase from last year. This year, more than 705,000 hectares burned, significantly less than the 2.2 million hectares affected in 2023. Despite the higher number of fires this year, the area burned was less than a third of last year's total. The province attributes this to improved preparation and investments in wildfire management. The wildfire season began earlier this year due to dry conditions and carryover wildfires. Alberta's wildfire budget increased to a record $155 million in 2024, up from $117 million in 2019.