Season review

The year 2025 stood out for SOPFEU due to a wildfire distribution pattern that was the reverse of what is typically observed. The start of the season, marked by abundant rainfall, resulted in a number of fires three to four times below average. However, the situation shifted in the fall, with an exceptionally high number of fires caused by a prolonged drought.

In total, 527 wildfires were fought, burning 1,313.7 hectares within the intensive protection zone. This represents 65 more fires than the ten-year average. Nearly 70% of the wildfires occurred late in the season (August to October), mainly in southern Québec, where the precipitation deficit was particularly severe. This unusual distribution reflects a scenario opposite to that of a typical season.

It’s worth noting that 87% of fires this year were caused by human activity. Campfires alone accounted for 134 fires (25.4%), discarded cigarette butts caused 82 fires (15.6%), and debris burning led to 86 wildfires (16.3%). In the northern zone, SOPFEU recorded half the usual number of fires, with only 31 reported.

During the 2024 season, SOPFEU fought 352 wildfires, resulting in 13,884 hectares of forest burned. This represents exactly 100 fewer fires than the ten-year average of 452 wildfires per season in the intensive protection zone (IPZ).

North of the 51st parallel, the situation was quite different, with 166 recorded fires burning 177,306 hectares of forest—nearly three times the annual average in the northern zone.

The year 2023 will mark a historic milestone in the history of Quebec’s forests. During the season, 566 fires burned nearly 1.1 million hectares (ha) in the Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ), and 147 fires destroyed over 3.2 million hectares in the Northern Zone, for a total of 4.3 million hectares, a record never before recorded in the province in the past century. Moreover, the area burned this year, caused 99.9% by lightning, is greater than the total area burned over the past 20 years, regardless of the cause.