Unrelenting heat and dry conditions in Western Canada have primed the region for wildfires heading into September, Canadian officials said on Monday, as the fire season shapes up to be the country’s second worst on record.

British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan will face the highest fire risk for the remainder of August and hotter than normal temperatures are forecast to persist in September, officials said during a news conference.

In the Atlantic provinces, wildfires this month have prompted provincial leaders to significantly increase fines for violating bans on outdoor burning. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have banned most outdoor activity on publicly owned forest land, including hiking, fishing and using trails. Mining, logging and other commercial forestry operations also face some restrictions.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Where are the fires burning?
• Where is the smoke drifting?
• What are the health effects of wildfire smoke?
• What caused the wildfires?
• Is climate change affecting wildfires?

Where are the fires burning?

Government officials and experts from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, a national firefighting coordinating body, have said the amount of forest land that has burned has made this the second-worst year on record for wildfire. There are 707 active wildfires in Canada and roughly 19 million acres, an area about the size of South Carolina, has burned.