Natural Hazards
Wildfire Risk in Canada
Wildland-urban interface communities face elevated risk during May–October fire season. FireSmart Canada provides home hardening guidance that can reduce ignition probability and insurance scrutiny.
Wildland-urban interface
Canada averages thousands of wildfires each year, though most burn in remote boreal forest. Property damage concentrates where forest meets development — the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Alberta, BC, and northern Saskatchewan carry the highest insured losses in our sample.
Insurers increasingly factor FireSmart compliance, roof material, and defensible space into underwriting in WUI zones. Provincial emergency alerts and evacuation orders remain the primary life-safety tools during active fire events.
Preparedness resources
- FireSmart Canada →
Home assessment and landscaping guidance
- ECCC fire danger forecast →
Daily fire weather indices by region
- Browse city wildfire profiles →
Per-community risk categories and checklists
Highest wildfire-risk cities
Sample from the hazards atlas