Not only are fires raging in Alberta, but three other provinces are now affected by several large fires.
Canada has launched an international appeal for help as wildfires continue to spread. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the situation in Alberta was extremely concerning.
In addition, the provinces of Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories are now affected by the fires, which are spreading more and more.
As a result, Canada is now turning to “other countries, the United States, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand,” Blair said, asking them for help.
Thousands of firefighters are on the job
The wildfires that have raged in Alberta since early May have already burned more than half a million hectares of forest and grassland. Many residential buildings and businesses were destroyed.
About 2,500 firefighters from across the country and 400 soldiers are battling the flames in the county, 27 of which are currently out of control.
And in the country’s westernmost province of British Columbia, 60 fires were counted on Wednesday, 15 of which were deemed out of control. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the fires in the Northwest Territories region.
What will summer bring?
It is not uncommon for forests to burn in Canada in the summer. Authorities are concerned by the fact that many large fires are already burning in the spring. A spokeswoman for Alberta Emergency Services said: “There is no doubt that the summer is going to be difficult and that we are going to need help.”
Given the number of fires, it will take months to deal with unless there is a major change in the weather that brings a lot of moisture.
It was a very dry April in western Canada, followed by record temperatures and strong winds from the beginning of May.
For several years, Western Canada has repeatedly experienced extreme weather events, which, according to experts, are increasing in intensity and frequency as a result of climate change.
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