The August wildfire that tore through Kingston, Newfoundland and Labrador, has racked up more than C$70 mn in insured damage, according to CatIQ’s latest estimates. It marks the highest insured property loss in Atlantic Canada this year.
Amanda Dean, VP for Ontario and Atlantic at the Insurance Bureau of Canada, called the fire another warning shot. “Lives were disrupted, homes and businesses burned, thousands forced out. Insurers will be there for residents as they begin the claims process,” she said.
Our hearts go out to the many individuals and families whose lives have been disrupted by this year’s wildfires and who have lost property
Amanda Dean, Vice-President, Ontario and Atlantic, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)
“The Kingston wildfire in Newfoundland and Labrador resulted in the highest amount of insured property losses in Atlantic Canada this year. Rest assured that anyone whose insured property was damaged can contact their insurance representative when they are ready to start the claims process. Insurers are committed to protecting your tomorrow by standing with you today,” said Amanda Dean.
The blaze ignited on August 3 and spread fast through Conception Bay North, hitting at least nine communities on the western shore.
Nearly 3,000 residents had to evacuate as the fire chewed through homes, businesses, and local infrastructure. Prolonged heat and dry conditions primed the area for disaster.
Dean linked the event to a broader trend: extreme weather striking more often, costing more, and piling pressure on claims systems across Canada.
Calls for action are getting louder, she said, and solutions are already on the table: stronger building codes, rebates for retrofits, community preparedness, and nature-based defenses like controlled burns and fire-smart forestry.
“This event is yet another example of the growing frequency and cost of extreme weather in Canada. As weather-related disasters, such as wildfires, continue to occur more often, they are placing pressure on claims costs from coast to coast,” added Dean.
Amid calls for action, the solution is clear – we must properly invest in making our homes, businesses and communities more resilient against severe weather.
The pitch goes beyond disaster recovery. It’s about resilience. Government at every level, Dean argued, must invest ahead of time so that each new catastrophe doesn’t require a bespoke local response.
Canada’s 2025 wildfire season opened in mid-May with more than 160 active blazes, concentrated first in Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. Two civilians were killed in Lac du Bonnet, northeast of Winnipeg, as flames swept through the community.
A consistent, national approach to emergency management could cut losses and protect communities before flames ever spark.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2025 wildfire season started early, driven by heat and dryness, according to provincial forestry officials.
Fires north of Conception Bay North in early May forced states of emergency and evacuations in Small Point–Adam’s Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove and Western Bay. Forty-five structures were lost, including a dozen homes, in a community of only about 400 residents plus seasonal cottagers. Smoke cut air quality in St. John’s and across the Avalon Peninsula. Other blazes flared at Fermeuse and Joe’s Lake near Badger but were contained quickly.
Conditions in Labrador were no less severe. Snowfall measured just 257 cm last winter, far below the 388 cm recorded the year before, leaving the region primed for fire.
On May 28, extreme risk ratings covered western Labrador, and flames near Churchill Falls shut down the Trans-Labrador Highway, cutting off road access to Happy Valley–Goose Bay. Outages spread across Labrador City, Wabush, and even into Fermont, Quebec.
Badger faced its own crisis on June 18. A lightning strike likely sparked a fire that grew to 650 hectares and came within 600 metres of town.
Eight hundred evacuees registered with the Canadian Red Cross and sheltered in Grand Falls–Windsor. By June 20, firefighting efforts and a shift in weather conditions let residents return home, but not before the blaze expanded to 1,119 hectares. Remote fires smouldered into July without threatening settlements.
The Bonavista Peninsula saw flames by mid-July. A fire near Chance Harbour on July 14 consumed more than 1,200 hectares and destroyed cabins, though no towns were hit. Five days later, Pine Pond near Musgrave Harbour went under an evacuation alert, but the town was spared. That blaze eventually reached 1,500 hectares before being held.
The most dangerous episode came on August 3, when a fire broke out in Kingston, Conception Bay North. Within a day, evacuation orders stretched from Kingston to Small Point–Adam’s Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove, then north into Western Bay.
Ochre Pit Cove went on alert, and the Persalvic School Complex in Victoria was converted into a shelter. Premier John Hogan confirmed by August 5 that the Kingston fire had tripled overnight to 720 hectares. Perry’s Cove was ordered to leave, while Salmon Cove received an evacuation alert.
