Learn About Wildfire
Plain-language guides so you can read the Detection Map with confidence and stay safe in British Columbia.
🚨 Safety & Preparedness
Evacuation & Instructions
What an Evacuation Alert vs. Order means, your grab-and-go bag, where to go, pets & livestock, special needs, and re-entry. Read this if an order affects you.
🧭How to Use Fire Aware
A walkthrough of the Detection Map, weather map, and live readouts so you get the most from the site.
⚠️Fire of Note
What makes a fire a "Fire of Note" and why the BC Wildfire Service highlights certain incidents.
🔥 Active Fire Statuses
Out of Control
A fire that isn't responding to suppression and is expected to spread — the most serious status.
🟡Being Held
A fire that isn't growing beyond its current perimeter under current conditions.
🟢Under Control
A fire surrounded by a maintained perimeter that can't cross it. Safe to leave burning to burn out.
⚫Out
A fire that is extinguished or fully burned out and no longer a threat.
⚡ Fire Causes
Lightning
How dry lightning starts fires in BC, and why it's the leading natural cause.
🧑🤝🧑Human-Caused
The many ways people start fires — campfires, equipment, industry, arson — and how to prevent them.
❓Under Investigation
Why some fires have no confirmed cause and how investigators determine one.
🌲 Fire Weather & Behaviour Values
Fire Weather Index
The FWI chain — how weather becomes a daily fire danger rating used across Canada.
🔥Fire Behaviour
Rate of spread, flame length, and intensity — how scientists predict how a fire moves.
⚠️Risk Levels
How fire risk and danger are scored and what the levels mean for you.
📏Fire Size & Area
How burned area is measured in hectares and what "small" vs. "complex" really means.
🌫️ Air Quality Classification
Good
Air quality is healthy. A normal day to be outside.
🟡Moderate
Acceptable for most; sensitive groups should take it a little easy.
🟠Unhealthy (Sensitive)
Smoke may affect children, the elderly, and those with heart or lung conditions.
🔴Unhealthy
Everyone may begin to have health effects; reduce time outdoors.
🟣Very Unhealthy
Health alert — everyone should limit outdoor exertion and consider masks/indoor air.
🟤Hazardous
Emergency conditions; avoid outdoor activity entirely.
Looking for the map or live data?
These guides explain the concepts you see on the Detection Map, Weather Map, and Fire Records. For live conditions, head to the map. For official emergency and evacuation information, always follow EmergencyInfoBC and the BC Wildfire Service.
What You'll See on the Live Map
Sensor nodes report temperature, humidity, PM2.5, and wind every few minutes; the Detection Map overlays active fires and historical perimeters on the same view.
The Detection Map uses BC Wildfire Service data for active fire perimeters and our own sensor mesh for hyperlocal conditions. Cross-reference the AQI badge in the top-right with the smoke layer to anticipate air-quality drops before the nearest station reports them. For a deep dive into the sensor network and its coverage, see the Documentation page.