"Across the country, there are currently 431 wildfires burning, 208 of which are determined to be out of control," Blair said at a press conference.
Blair added that although significant improvement has been observed in some parts of the country, Western Canada, Quebec, and areas of Northern Ontario are still facing air quality notices due to wildfire smoke.
The number of those evacuated across the country has sharply increased from 20,183 on June 7 to nearly 32,000 at present, the minister said. With 4.7 million hectares of forest burnt, the 2023 wildfire season has become the worst of the 21st century, Blair noted.
As wildfires continue to burn across Canada, almost 5,000 firefighters have been deployed, including incident management personnel, overhead specialists, and members of the Canadian armed forces, Blair continued.
The minister also noted the presence of 1,098 international firefighters and the expected arrival of personnel from Portugal and Spain later this week to help with the situation in Quebec.
Last week, the smoke from the wildfires in Canada descended upon parts of the eastern US in a thick haze and has since drifted over Norway. Several countries have sent firefighters to Canada to help quell the wildfires, including the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and France.