2023-05-11 22:44:24
Canada has sent the army to help the province of Alberta in the west of the country fight the ravages of fires that have burned more than 410,000 hectares. The situation might worsen at the end of the week, with a sharp rise in temperatures.
“The Canadian Forces will assist firefighters and provide airlift, help evacuate isolated communities and protect people,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday on Twitter. Two days following declaring a state of emergency, Alberta formally requested federal assistance on Monday.
A total of 200 soldiers were deployed on Thursday and another 100 are due to arrive shortly, authorities said.
A few days of cooler weather gave some respite for firefighters to reduce the number of fires and also for some residents to return home. Some 80 fires were still active Thursday, 23 of them out of control.
Charles’ prayers
Some oil and gas companies were also able to restart their production which had been interrupted for a few days. The Canadian province of Alberta, one of the largest oil producers in the world, experienced a hot and dry spring conducive to the start of fires. The vast majority of these fires are human-caused.
In a letter, King Charles III, Canada’s titular head of state, said he was “deeply concerned” by the situation. He offered “special thoughts and prayers to those who have been displaced and to those who have lost their homes or businesses”.
According to the Environment Canada meteorological site, temperatures will rise sharply in the coming days, especially in the center and north. They should be accompanied by thunderstorms, conditions conducive to the outbreak of new fires due to lightning.
In recent years, western Canada has been hit repeatedly by extreme weather events, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.
This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp
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