FACT CHECK: Viral Post Claims There Are No Wildfires In Canada Or Mexico

Bradley Devlin | General Assignment & Analysis Reporter

A viral Facebook post shared over 11,000 times claims that while the U.S. is battling wildfires on the West Coast, there are no wildfires currently burning in Mexico or Canada.

Verdict: False

Fire maps show that both Canada and Mexico currently have wildfires burning.

Fact Check:

A national wildland fire situation report published by Canada’s natural resources department shows the country had five uncontrolled fires, 11 that are being held and 47 that are under control as of Sept. 9. The interactive Canadian Wildland Fire Information System map available online also shows multiple fires in British Columbia and Alberta at the time of publication.

The Fire Weather & Avalanche Center, a non-profit organization that tracks weather events in the U.S., offers a U.S. wildfire map that shows a large number of fires raging in the American west – seemingly many more than depicted on fire maps for Canada and Mexico. Experts have said that climate change likely plays a role in influencing the size and severity of these fires, according to The New York Times.

“Seventy-seven large fires have burned 3.7 million acres across the western states,” a Sept. 24 report from the National Interagency Fire Center reads. “Three new large fires were reported in Montana. Large fires in California and Wyoming continue to burn actively, some of them burning thousands of additional acres yesterday.” (RELATED: Do Wildfires Stop At The US’s Borders With Canada And Mexico?)

Mexico also is dealing with fires of its own, a fire map operated by NASA shows. The fires appear to be burning predominantly on the country’s west and east coasts. Mexico’s National Forestry Commission has also tweeted about recent fires burning close to the U.S.-Mexico border.

While there currently appear to be more reported wildfires in the United States than Canada or Mexico, the claim that there are no fires in those neighboring countries is false.

Bradley Devlin

General Assignment & Analysis Reporter
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