Large-scale wildfires in Western Canada: thousands of people evacuated
Kyiv • UNN
Thousands of residents of Western Canada are being evacuated due to large wildfires that have covered about 10,000 hectares of land, with authorities warning of poor air quality and potential further spread of the fires.
The first major wildfires of the season broke out in Western Canada, covering about 10,000 hectares of land. Evacuation orders have been issued for several regions. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
On Sunday, wildfires broke out in Western Canada, covering approximately 10,000 hectares of land. Evacuation orders were issued by the British Columbia authorities, warning residents of poor air quality in the region.
Thousands of residents of the Northern Rockies and Fort Nelson First Nations region were forced to evacuate due to the fire's growth, which has nearly doubled to 4136 hectares.
An evacuation order has also been issued for the Fontas indigenous community, located near Fort Nelson.
Fort Nelson Mayor Rob Fraser confirmed the evacuation of most of the 3,500 residents and surrounding areas. In neighboring Alberta, residents of the oil hub of Fort McMurray were also urged to be prepared to evacuate, saying several wildfires were out of control. The wildfires have already reached 43 active locations, including a fire near Fort McMurray that is growing and poses a serious threat.
However, the authorities reported that some fires have been extinguished, but given the expected increase in temperatures, the situation is expected to worsen. Winds are predicted to be favorable for pushing the fire away from populated areas toward the Athabasca River.
The federal government has warned that Canada could be facing another catastrophic wildfire season due to high temperatures, favorable El Niño conditions, and a lack of rainfall. This winter has been one of the warmest on record with low precipitation in many areas, increasing the risk of future wildfires.
