An AI-generated wildfire image is contrasted with a real one in a comparison image shared by the B.C. Wildfire Service.
With B.C.’s 2026 wildfire season underway, officials are warning the public not to be duped by fake images generated by artificial intelligence.
One such image was recently attributed to the B.C. Wildfire Service, showing a helicopter flying close to a thick plume of smoke—a dramatic scene entirely imagined by AI.
“If something feels a little too perfect, take a second look,” the BCWS wrote in a Facebook post flagging the fakery.
“As temperatures rise and wildfire activity increases, you can expect to see more fake images online. They can create false impressions of incidents and make it harder to understand what’s really happening.”
Officials recommended turning to direct government sources and trusted news outlets for information on wildfire situations in the province, and to “look critically” at images of unknown origins for clues that they could be AI-generated.
Since the season began on April 1, there have been 46 wildfires recorded across B.C., burning some 979 hectares of land.
The vast majority of the fires are either confirmed or suspected to be human-caused