While Oct. 31 marked the official end of Alberta’s wildfire season, ongoing dry conditions mean the risk of wildfire remains in several areas of the province. Fire crews continue to monitor and respond to any new fires, focusing efforts where communities or critical infrastructure could be at risk.
Alberta’s government entered the 2025 wildfire season with new strategies and a more efficient use of existing programs and resources. As wildfires began in April and dry conditions continued, Alberta Wildfire worked quickly to protect communities and limit impacts on residents and industry. While the number of fire-starts was comparable to 2024, Alberta Wildfire was able to reduce the overall area burned when compared with last year.
“We started the 2025 wildfire season prepared for all challenges, and that level of readiness helped us tackle 1,200 wildfire starts quickly. We continue to work with communities to implement programs that are helping to build wildfire resilience across Alberta. Wildfire preparation doesn’t stop – we take what we learn from each season to prepare for the next.”
Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks
In 2025, Alberta piloted a new wildfire-response approach that uses hoist-equipped helicopters to rapidly insert and extract wildland firefighters from remote, hard-to-reach areas. Upgrades to Alberta’s fire weather network also improved response planning by delivering more accurate information about where and when wildfires could start and how intense they could become. Additionally, Alberta’s expansion of Wildland Urban Interface crews added another important layer of defence for communities and critical infrastructure near wildland.
Click here to see more...