2023-08-18 11:16:52
More and more people have to get to safety in Canada because of the forest fires. In addition to the violent fires in the Northwest Territories, a fire in the south-west of the country is also threatening several towns. These are close to Okanagan Lake, which is popular with tourists. The fire, which according to the authorities on Friday morning (local time) covered an area of about 1,100 hectares, is only about ten kilometers from the city of West Kelowna, it said.
A state of emergency was declared there on Thursday. Evacuation orders were in place for around 2,500 people in West Kelowna, British Columbia, according to broadcaster CBC. That number is expected to rise, local fire chief Jason Brolund told the broadcaster. The city of Kelowna on the opposite side of the lake also declared a state of emergency early Friday morning. Individual fires had spread to the city, according to a statement from the authorities. Residents in several neighborhoods were therefore asked to leave their homes. According to the broadcaster CBC, Kelowna is home to almost 150,000 people.
In the capital of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, the evacuation of around 20,000 residents continues. There, too, the forest fires are raging just a few kilometers from the city limits. Barring rain, the blazes could reach the outskirts over the weekend, regional environment secretary Shane Thompson warned at a news conference.
Around 1,500 people had been flown out of Yellowknife by Thursday evening, the authorities said at a press conference on Thursday evening. 22 flights are planned for Friday to bring about 1,800 more people to safety. It was not initially known how many people had already left the city by land.
Canada has been battling wildfires in several parts of the country for months. With climate change, experts warn that fires will become more frequent and more destructive. In the prairie provinces of western Canada, the average temperature has risen by 1.9 degrees Celsius since the mid-20th century, according to the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
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