2023-05-08 02:40:43
Evacuations continued Sunday in western Canada, due to the progression of forest fires. Nearly 30,000 people in total were displaced in a few days, an “unprecedented” situation at this time of year.
The province of Alberta had to declare a state of emergency on Saturday following ordering the evacuation of some 25,000 people. Early Sunday evening, 107 forest or brush fires were still active in the province, 28 of which were not brought under control by firefighters.
“We had light scattered showers in the south of the province,” explained the spokesperson for the relief of the province. “This allowed firefighters to attack some areas they had been unable to approach due to the extreme behavior of the fires,” she added.
But this slight lull “unfortunately” does not concern the north of the province, where conditions remain very difficult, she further specified.
In their fight once morest the fires, the authorities are concentrating on inhabited areas. In Fox Lake, northern Alberta, a violent fire destroyed 20 homes, a store and a police station. Residents were evacuated by boat and helicopter.
The conditions remain unstable and, according to the authorities, it is difficult to determine the precise extent of the damage immediately. “In some cases, the smoke and current conditions prevent us from fully assessing property losses,” said a member of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.
Two wildfires out of control in neighboring British Columbia have also prompted some people to leave their homes. Authorities have warned they expect strong winds to swell the fires in the coming days.
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.
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