Chinchaga fire

The Chinchaga fire was a massive wildfire that burned across northern British Columbia and Alberta in 1950 and is generally regarded as the largest recorded fire in North American history, consuming an estimated 1.4 to 1.7 million hectares. Started by human activity north of Fort St. John, it spread for months through remote boreal forest and muskeg, driven by heat, drying, and strong winds, while no organized suppression was mounted. Though no known deaths were attributed to it, the fire damaged trapping lands used by First Nations and Métis communities. Its smoke created the Great Smoke Pall, bringing darkness, blue suns, and haze across North America and Europe.

Alberta · Canada