2023-08-21 21:35:05
In the fight once morest devastating wildfires in western Canada, cooler weather made it easier for firefighters to battle the blazes on Monday. The fires are not expected to spread, said Jared Schroeder, a senior fire official in British Columbia, a province particularly hard hit. From Tuesday, rainy weather was also forecast for the fire areas.
Still, large parts of the Okanagan Valley in the province, including the cities of Kelowna and neighboring West Kelowna, remain threatened by the fires.
An evacuation order was still in place for around 27,000 residents in British Columbia on Monday, according to official information on Monday evening, 385 fires were blazing in the province – more than 1,000 fires were reported across Canada.
No other buildings have been destroyed in the past 24 hours, said Loyal Wooldridge, a Kelowna City Councilman. However, the situation remains “extremely serious,” said provincial disaster response minister Bowinn Ma.
According to official information, it is still too early to plan the return of the evacuees. The areas threatened by the fire are still shrouded in thick smoke. The region is also littered with debris, including trees torn from the ground by strong winds and downed power lines.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke regarding the crisis at a cabinet meeting. Canadians watched “with horror the images of apocalyptic devastation”. “It’s a scary and heartbreaking time,” Trudeau said.
A total of around 14 million hectares of forest have already burned in Canada this year – the equivalent of the area of Greece. Four people died in forest fires. According to scientists, climate change is favoring more frequent and more violent forest fires.
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