The hazy Toronto skyline is seen as smoke from wildfires continue to impact air quality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 15, 2026. /VCG
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday stressed an "all-hands-on-deck" approach to combat one of the most intense wildfire seasons in Canadian history.
In a statement released on social media, Carney raised particular concern over the situation in Northwestern Ontario, describing the blazes there as "especially devastating" and noting that more than 10 communities in the region have already been forced to evacuate.
More than 5,300 firefighting personnel have been deployed across the country, and nearly 300 aircraft are in the field, said the prime minister.
Carney also emphasized the integration of modern tools in tackling the crisis, saying that Canada is leveraging data, drones, new technologies and advanced thermal imaging to support real-time fire detection and mitigation efforts.
The prime minister's remarks came as the national wildfire crisis rapidly escalated due to extreme heatwave and drought. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, Canada's national preparedness level is now at Level 4, indicating a significant mobilization of shared resources across multiple jurisdictions.
Latest statistics show a total of 3,839 wildland fires have been recorded across the country so far this year, consuming more than 2.9 million hectares of forest.
As of Saturday, 971 active wildfires are raging nationwide, with 239 listed as completely "out of control." Northern Ontario has emerged as a major crisis zone, with roughly 190 active blazes tearing through vast forested areas, forcing widespread evacuations of indigenous communities and sending thick plumes of smoke southward to trigger severe air quality alerts across major US cities.
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