Canadian wildfire data sources
Learn which Canadian wildfire authorities and national sources FireRadar uses, and how official incidents differ from satellite hotspots and smoke forecasts.
View data update history →Local wildfire authorities are preferred
FireRadar's Wildfires layer prioritizes public records from provincial and territorial wildfire authorities where they are available. When local information is unavailable, CWFIS national data may appear with a clear label. NASA FIRMS thermal detections and ECCC FireWork smoke forecasts stay separate and are never counted as official wildfire incidents.
Official sources by province and territory
British Columbia
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from BC Wildfire Service. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Alberta
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from Alberta Wildfire. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Saskatchewan
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Manitoba
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from Manitoba Wildfire Service / FireView. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Ontario
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from Ontario Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Quebec
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from SOPFEU. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
New Brunswick
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from Government of New Brunswick. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Nova Scotia
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from Nova Scotia wildfire services. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Prince Edward Island
FireRadar currently uses clearly labelled CWFIS national data for Prince Edward Island. Prince Edward Island government remains the authority for local information.
Newfoundland and Labrador
FireRadar uses public wildfire incident information from Newfoundland and Labrador Forestry and Agrifoods. Details are shown only when the source provides them, and map locations do not replace local emergency notices.
Yukon
Incident details come from Yukon Wildland Fire Management. FireRadar may add separately sourced map locations when a reliable fire-ID match is available; those locations are not official fire perimeters.
Northwest Territories
Incident details come from Government of the Northwest Territories Environment and Climate Change. FireRadar may add separately sourced map locations when a reliable fire-ID match is available; those locations are not official fire perimeters.
Nunavut
FireRadar currently uses clearly labelled CWFIS national data for Nunavut. Government of Nunavut remains the authority for local information.
National wildfire data, satellite hotspots and smoke
CWFIS national wildfire data
Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Wildland Fire Information System provides Canada-wide wildfire information. FireRadar may show CWFIS data when local information is unavailable or too old. It is always identified as national data and is never presented as a provincial or territorial report.
NASA FIRMS satellite hotspots
NASA FIRMS VIIRS detections indicate observed thermal activity. A hotspot is not automatically a confirmed wildfire, exact perimeter, or new incident. Detections can overlap official fires, repeat across satellite passes, or represent another heat source.
ECCC FireWork wildfire smoke forecast
Environment and Climate Change Canada's FireWork system forecasts the wildfire-smoke contribution to ground-level PM2.5 for up to 72 hours. It is a forecast, not a measurement from an air-quality station, health advisory or wildfire incident report.
What the times on FireRadar mean
First reported
When the source indicates the incident was first reported, discovered, or created.
First seen by FireRadar
When FireRadar first recorded the incident if the source does not provide a first-reported time. This is not the fire's ignition time.
Last updated
When the source indicates the incident record was last changed. FireRadar does not copy the first-reported time into this field merely to fill a blank.
Source-wide update
When the wildfire authority says its overall information was updated. An individual fire record may have a different last-updated time.
FireRadar checked
When FireRadar last checked or saved the record. This does not mean the agency published new information at that time.
Forecast issued
The starting time for the ECCC FireWork forecast. It is not an air-quality observation time.
Forecast hour
The hour represented on the smoke map. Actual conditions can differ as weather and fire emissions change.
The data update history shows whether recent source checks completed, returned limited information or failed.
Coverage limitations
A failed or unavailable source does not mean there are zero fires or zero smoke. FireRadar marks information unavailable instead of guessing counts, dates, sizes, causes or air quality. FireRadar currently relies on CWFIS national data for Prince Edward Island and Nunavut because a public local active-fire source has not been connected for either jurisdiction.
We document these sources so users can see exactly which agency or dataset supports each FireRadar view and where its limitations begin.
— The FireRadar team