FireRadar questions and answers

FireRadar is an independent Canada-wide wildfire map. It prioritizes information from provincial and territorial wildfire authorities, uses clearly labelled CWFIS national data when needed, and keeps satellite hotspots, smoke forecasts, air quality and historical information separate.

No. FireRadar is an independent situational-awareness product and does not issue evacuation orders or emergency instructions. For urgent decisions, follow the responsible provincial, territorial, municipal, Indigenous, or emergency-management authority.

Sources can publish at different times, use different status definitions or include different types of records. FireRadar prioritizes local wildfire authorities, may show clearly labelled CWFIS national data when local information is unavailable, and never adds NASA satellite hotspots to official fire totals.

FireRadar checks connected wildfire sources regularly, but new information still depends on when the responsible authority publishes it. Fire cards show the agency update time separately from when FireRadar last checked the record.

When the responsible source publishes a suspected or reported cause, FireRadar shows it directly on the fire card. Cause information can change as an investigation develops, and FireRadar leaves it unavailable rather than guessing when the source does not publish one.

No. NASA FIRMS hotspots are satellite thermal detections. They can support wildfire awareness, but they are not confirmed incident records or exact fire perimeters and can include repeated detections or other heat sources.

No. The smoke layer is based on Environment and Climate Change Canada's FireWork forecast model. It is model guidance about wildfire-smoke PM2.5, not a direct measurement of what a person is breathing at a specific location.

AQHI is an observed or forecast health-risk index based on multiple air pollutants. Wildfire smoke can affect AQHI, but AQHI is not a wildfire-smoke-only measurement. FireRadar keeps AQHI and FireWork smoke as separate layers for that reason.

FireRadar began saving daily wildfire and perimeter observations on July 20, 2026. Older records from wildfire authorities may appear separately, but FireRadar does not present them as observations it made before that date.

No. A missing or incomplete day is marked unavailable, not counted as zero wildfire activity. This keeps a confirmed zero separate from a day when FireRadar could not confirm the information.

FireRadar keeps daily wildfire records, incident changes, perimeter versions and satellite hotspot observations, along with separate air-quality and smoke-forecast history. Each record keeps its source and update time so it can be understood later.

No. Today's map is never backdated to fill a gap. FireRadar only restores historical information when records saved at the time support it, and identifies where that information came from.

No. The wildfire map and public information are available without an account. A Free account adds one Wildfire Watch dashboard location with email notifications, three basic email Alerts, and Saved bookmarks that can be reopened across signed-in devices.

A Wildfire Watch monitors a geographic dashboard location and includes its situation dashboard and notification settings. A Save is a passive bookmark for a supported resource such as a wildfire, highway, or corridor. Saved items do not send alerts and use neither a dashboard-location nor an Alert slot.

FireRadar Plus expands Wildfire Watch from one dashboard location to five, increases focused Alerts from three to ten, and adds eligible SMS, Route alerts and enhanced Alert controls. Saved bookmarks consume neither allowance. The public map and current safety information remain free.

FireRadar creates a fire-specific map link that preserves the selected incident and location. Supported link previews use the fire name so recipients can tell which incident was shared before opening the map.