Canada had one of its worst wildfire seasons. How bad was it? – National [Video]

With summer drawing to a close in Canada, the 2024 wildfire season is shaping up as one of the most destructive on record, largely due to the devastation caused by a blaze that ripped through a tourist town in the Canadian Rockies.

Based on total area scorched, the season ranks among the top six over the last half century. Even so, 2024 is turning out to be much less severe than last year – the worst on record – and not as bad as many had feared.

The total cost of wildfire damage this year surged in July when a third of the popular tourist town of Jasper, Alberta, was destroyed by a blaze. The fire caused an estimated C$880 million ($646.73 million) in insured damages, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

In total, 5.3 million hectares (13.1 million acres) have burned to date in 2024, according to the …