Following a particularly wet summer in much of Alberta, the province’s wildfire agency says 2026 has been the mildest fire season in the last five years. This year’s legislated wildfire season, which starts March 1 and runs until Oct. 31, saw 789 wildfires burn across the province, which is down about 35 per cent compared to the five-year average. The amount of land that burned was down 95 per cent than what has been seen in the previous five seasons. There was even a brief period in August where the province reported zero wildfires – the first time in 40 years. “It was a very different-looking season,” said Ashley Weave, a public information officer with Alberta Wildfire. “It was definitely a very wet summer … and because of that, our crews were focusing on preparedness, which included a lot of hands-on training out in the field.” Alberta Wildfire also sent out more than 1,000 crew members and several water bombers to different jurisdictions across the country and abroad. “Despite how much the weather may have played a factor, our crews were still very, very busy this year,” said Weave. “If we’re able to provide staff, we’re more than happy to assist those other partner agencies.” However, some communities, particularly in northern Alberta, were impacted by wildfires. “The far north was pretty dry, and it was dry early on in the season,” said forestry minister Todd Loewen. “There were some (fires) early in the season that affected some homes, but by and large, the bigger wildfires weren’t close to civilization, so it didn’t cause disruptions like we’ve seen in the past.” Loewen said the province spent only about a third of its wildfire budget this year. What wasn’t spent will rollover to the general budget. “When it comes to wildfires, boring is good,” said the minister. “Some of the staff in the last three years haven’t had a day off from the start of fire season to then end … We really appreciate having those experienced staff.” This wildfire season marked the 10-year anniversary of the Fort McMurray wildfires that forced more than 88,000 people from the community and destroyed around 2,400 homes and buildings. There are currently no active wildfires burning in Alberta. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
