There have been two fatalities reported related to the fires: a firefighter killed by a falling tree in Alberta, and a helicopter pilot in the Northwest Territories who crashed while assisting with wildfire management.

The year saw the second-highest wildfire carbon emissions since the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service measurements began in 2003, behind only the historically destructive 2023 season.

Increased temperatures due to climate change had dried out vast quantities of vegetation, fueling blazes that lasted until the late autumn.

Droughts, combined with longer and hotter summers, dry out organic material in soils and make these types of fires more common in the country's boreal forests.

[11] Northeast British Columbia experienced extensive drought and had a very dry winter with low snowpack, and locals in Fort Nelson began discovering fires as early as December 2023.

[14][15] On the evening of May 10, the wildfire designated MWF017 was 16 km southeast of Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo had issued an evacuation alert.

[16] The County of Grande Prairie also ordered an evacuation because of a wildfire near Teepee Creek,[16][17] and about 100 Canadian Forces soldiers were deployed to the region.

[19] By May 15, four neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray (Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace) were ordered to evacuate, displacing 6,000 and causing gridlock on Alberta Highway 63.

The Northern Alberta communities of John D'Or Prairie 215, Fox Lake and Garden River were evacuated, covering about 5,000 people.

[28] Residents were allowed to return on a temporary basis on August 16, but many of the remaining structures suffered significant damage from heat, smoke, and water, and powerful fires continued to burn to the south.

[34] The Patry Creek fire to the north was burning out of control by July 23, covering 775 square kilometres (299 sq mi) and limiting access to Highway 77.

[40] The Antler Creek fire in the Cariboo Region grew rapidly overnight on July 22, forcing the evacuations of about 300 residents and 700 tourists from Wells, Barkerville, Bowron Lake, and nearby areas.

[45] In early August, more out of control fires forced the evacuation of about 100 properties in the Southern Interior, including areas north of the village Lytton, which was destroyed in a 2021 wildfire.

[46] Out-of-control fires continued in September in the province's interior, triggering air quality alerts for communities including Prince George and Quesnel.

On May 11, fires in the northwest forced the evacuations of Cranberry Portage (a community of about 650 people), several nearby cottage subdivisions, and Bakers Narrows Provincial Park.

Likely sparked by lightning and fueled by high winds and dry conditions,[52] the fires spread to 37,000 hectares and destroyed two residences, five cottages, and two garages before being brought under control.

Smoke severely degraded the regional air quality and airplanes carrying supplies for the remote communities were unable to land safely.

[54] The fire grew to 30,000 hectares by August 2, increasing the number of evacuees to over 1,000 and forcing Red Sucker Lake to declare a state of emergency because of power outages and relentless smoke.

[64] Compared to the five-year average, Saskatchewan experienced more wildfires than expected, and fires were threatening power and telecommunications infrastructure in early July.

Combined with rising temperatures from climate change, the deposits have put the glacier into what hydrologist John Pomeroy described as a "death spiral".

[73] Massive plumes of smoke from the fires in mid-July formed trails spanning thousands of kilometres away across Canada and the mid-western United states, reducing air quality.

[76][77] Smoke in the west plagued the Canadian Prairies, and major cities including Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, and Flin Flon reached 10+ (the highest value) on the Air Quality Health Index.