Red Cross 2025 wildfires response is largest domestic operation in recent history

Scale and complexity of wildfires operations surpass response to COVID-19 pandemic

OTTAWA, Aug. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Red Cross today announced that the 2025 wildfires response operation is the largest in the organization’s recent history. Since May, the Red Cross has been providing humanitarian assistance to people impacted by wildfires across the country with operations in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada – and surpassing operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s wildfire response includes operating a mega-congregate shelter with capacity for more than 3,000 people, deploying 1,200 personnel, registering 52,000 people, securing 815 flights for 10,000 people, and securing 200,000 hotel nights.

Data collected from this year’s wildfire season reveals a new threshold for both the size and complexity of response operations in Canada, and it is critical to prepare for future events. The Red Cross recommends the need for:

• strengthened capacity to respond to all-hazard events in Canada;
• a permanent investment in a civilian operational response capacity such as that of the Red Cross Humanitarian Workforce; and
• enhanced coordination across government and whole-of-society response actors.
  

This year’s rise in response operations demonstrates a year-over-year trend in rising emergencies across Canada. Continued investments in pan-Canadian civilian response capacity, such as those made possible through the Government of Canada’s humanitarian workforce program, are critical to maintaining the response capacity needed to respond to rising events and must be maintained.

QUOTE:
“We have reached a critical tipping point this response season, with more than 1,200 Red Cross personnel deployed to support operations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. This represents the largest volume of domestic response operations in our modern history, with needs continuing to rise. We continue to surge our response with specialized expertise to meet rising demands. Continued investment in our Civilian Response capacity is critical as we can no longer treat these events as exceptional.”

Conrad Sauvé, president and CEO, Canadian Red Cross

QUICK FACTS:
During the 2025 Wildfire response season, the Red Cross has:

• deployed 1,200 personnel to support response operations –including 630 volunteer deployments contributing more than 88,000 volunteer hours;
• secured 815 flights carrying more than 10,000 passengers requiring evacuation from their communities;
• operated 45 reception sites across four provinces; and
• operated 11 congregate shelters, including a mega-shelter with capacity for more than 3,000 people in Winnipeg.

For more information on the Red Cross active responses, visit redcross.ca.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Images and B-roll of wildfire responses available upon request.
@redcrosscanada.bsky.social | facebook.com/CanadianRedCross | redcross.ca/blog
Red Cross donor inquiries: WeCare@redcross.ca or 1-800-418-1111

About the Canadian Red Cross
Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies – the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need, and supporting them in strengthening their resilience.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
English Media: media@redcross.ca   1-877-599-9602
French and Québec Media: communication@croixrouge.ca   1-888-418-9111

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