The Ontario government has marked the end of the 2023 wildland fire season, which saw more than 700 fires and 44-hundred square kilometres of forests burned between April and October.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said in a news release the area burned this past year is almost triple the 10-year average.
Minister Graydon Smith called this past fire season --quote-- ``one of the most challenging fire seasons Ontario and Canada has ever faced.''
Smith says he is thankful for Ontario's fire rangers and other emergency management staff's hard work and dedication to protect communities and natural resources.