World on Fire podcast: Behind the scenes in an unprecedented wildfire season

The latest episode of World On Fire — CBC's wildfire and climate change podcast — dives into the stories of reporters covering some of the biggest blazes in 2023. Fires that have burned more than nine million acres of land in 10 provinces and territories so far.

LISTEN | Reporters across the country react to an unprecedented wildfire season

World on Fire46:50EPISODE 8 - The Reporters

In this episode of World on Fire we’ll meet some of the journalists covering Canada’s worst fire season ever. They’re the people putting a human face on the numbers and trying to make sense of the devastation. We’ll hear their personal stories about the toll it takes on communities and the reporters themselves

British Columbia

Crews in B.C., are still facing the Donnie Creek blaze, the largest wildfire recorded in the province's history. It has charred more than 580,000 hectares since it began mid-May.

• B.C. wildfire fighter, 19, died after being hit by falling tree while responding to blaze: RCMP

The tension has been heightened as firefighters mourn the loss of one of their own. Last week Devyn Gale, 19, died after being trapped beneath a tree while clearing brush near a small fire in a remote area outside Revelstoke, B.C.

CBC senior reporter Katie Nichsolson has covered her share of wildfires around the world and picked up a few lessons.

"Don't wear mascara in the smoke," said Nicholson, who learned the hard way that particulate matter can stick to your eyes.

"There's a resignation to fatigue," she said. "These are going to be long hours, but no matter what kind of hours you're going to have as a journalist, there are people having even more of an exhausting time."

Nicholson was on assignment in 2021 when a catastrophic fire burned down the village of Lytton, and killed two people. She then spent another summer across the country to cover wildfire in 2023.

Western Canada wildfires push people, resources to the limit

2 years ago

Duration 3:18

Hundreds of firefighters from across Canada are helping to combat Alberta’s raging wildfires, just as B.C.’s worsening wildfire situation starts siphoning resources.

Alberta

The wildfire season hit hard and fast with multiple communities across Alberta evacuated in early May. More than 1.5 million hectares have burned just halfway through the season. 

Edmonton-based reporters Julia Wong, Travis McEwan and cameraman David Bajer share their stories of traveling across the province this spring. CBC News producer Kory Siegers shares how experiences on the ground in Fort McMurray have changed her response to these crises.

East Prairie Métis Settlement in northern Alberta was hit especially hard and lost dozens of buildings including homes. Senior reporter Erin Collins interviewed a man after his entire home burned down. Collins shares how wildfire coverage has shaped his career as a reporter.

By early July, the province reported more than 800 wildfires in 2023.

'I had no words': Alberta wildfire destroys homes in East Prairie Métis Settlement

2 years ago

Duration 1:53

Alberta's powerful wildfires have devastated several communities, leaving people like East Prairie Métis Settlement resident Ron Bellerose sorting through ruins. Bellerose tells CBC’s Erin Collins he’s left with nothing but memories and uncertainty.

Quebec

Fires in Quebec continue to burn, with smoke so intense it grounded water bombers in the north. The wildfire season in Canada has emitted 160 million tonnes of carbon so far — the country's highest emissions since the European Union started monitoring them 20 years ago. 

How risky is high risk when it comes to air quality?

1 year ago

Duration 2:42

When the air is murky and muggy, here's what you need to know and what you should pay attention to.

First Nations communities including Oujé-Bougoumou and the Cree community in Mistissini have been evacuated and CBC's Kwabena Oduro spent the spring meeting with those who fled.

"When I realized how much reinforcement we needed from all around the world, that's when I realized this was going to be serious," Oduro said.

Nova Scotia

The wildfire season hit home for CBC's Aly Thomson — literally. The Halifax reporter found herself evacuated in late May when four fires swept through Nova Scotia, including the Upper Tantallon fire, which blew through her neighbourhood.

"It was very eerie, leaving the subdivision. It was an exodus," Thomson said. "We drove down a road that was consumed by fire later."

The Upper Tantallon fire destroyed 200 buildings, including 150 homes, and forced more than 16,000 people to evacuate. The Barrington Lake Fire, which was held but continued through June, is on record as the largest wildfire in the province's history burning almost 60,000 hectares.