New firesincreasingly intense, force the evacuation of thousands of people throughout CanadaAs the country battles out-of-control blazes that a provincial minister warned on Saturday could last “All summer”.
Almost 28,700 square kilometers have burned since the beginning of the year, well above previous averages, as the country warms faster than the rest of the world due to climate change.
Western Canada has been particularly hard hit. After several days of truce, the fires intensified in Alberta, where on Friday night the city of Edson was evacuated for the second time since May.
“The fire is so out of control that some forestry crews have had to back off,” said Luc Mercier, chief administrative officer for Yellowhead County, where Edson is located. “They can’t fight this fire.”
In British Columbia, the town of Tumbler Ridge, population 2,400, was largely evacuated as the fire approached a few miles from the town.
In the east of the country, Quebec’s Minister of Public Safety, Francois Bonnardel, said Saturday morning that the situation in the center and northwest of the province remained difficult, with several towns under threat.
The fires in northeast Quebec were considered “stable”.
Some 14,000 people are under evacuation orders in the province, and Bonnardel stated that “We haven’t won the battle yet.”
The environmental authorities have recorded 416 active incidents in the country, 203 of which are classified as out of control.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
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