Amid a fire season that has seen a record number of blazes, wildfires and poor air quality are top-of-mind concerns for commercial property developers, industry insiders say.

The fires have burned an unprecedented amount of land from coast to coast in Canada, entering communities not typically in harm’s way, such as the outskirts of Halifax, and triggering air quality warnings as far away as Europe.

“It’s been a major point of discussion for some time now and landlords have taken measures such as putting in a number of air exchanges and upgrading to more advanced air filtration systems,” says Samantha Sannella, managing director, consulting services, Canada at Cushman & Wakefield. “It’s something occupiers ask for.”

Ms. Sannella says the growing fire threats are forcing innovation in design and development that could include the use of fire-resistant building materials and Internet of Things technology to oversee sensors and fire suppression systems.

Glenn McGillivray, managing director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), a disaster-prevention research centre established by Canada’s insurance industry, says with the wildfire trend moving in the wrong direction as urban boundaries expand, it’s more than likely wildfires will reach urban areas.

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