Native America Calling: Accessing the vulnerability of Indigenous communities during 2026 wildfire season

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Native America Calling: Accessing the vulnerability of Indigenous communities during 2026 wildfire season

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

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Accessing the vulnerability of Indigenous communities during 2026 wildfire season

Around 200 wildfires are currently burning across the country and nearly 900 are burning in Canada.

Large swaths of the northeastern United States are blanketed in heavy, hazardous smoke coming from widespread wildfires burning in northern Minnesota and Ontario. In the neighboring Canadian province, three First Nations communities were forced to evacuate after fires ripped through their remote reserves.

Significant drought and decades of hands-off wild land management factor into increasingly severe wildfire seasons that impact Indigenous people the most.

Tune into Native America Calling to get updates from Indigenous fire experts about current wildfire events, smoke impacts, and the vulnerability of Indigenous communities.

Wildfire at Namaygoosisagagun First Nation

Residents of the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation flee by boat due to a wildfire that destroyed the community in northern Ontario in July 2026. Photo courtesy Wayne Wastaken, evacuee

Guests on Native America Calling

Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson (Métis), senior fire advisor for the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and board member of the International Association of Wildland Fire

Arnold Lazare (Mohawk), interim CEO of the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council and the Indigenous fire marshal for Canada

Ferin Davis Anderson (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians), natural resources manager for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Minnesota