Western Canada wildfires have spread to other provinces, triggering thousands of people to evacuate.
According to BBC, as wildfires spread in Central and Western Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared a state of emergency in the provinces and urged people to leave their homes as soon as possible.
As 14 wildfires rage uncontrollably in Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe said, “The conditions that our northern residents, communities and wildland firefighters are facing today are as severe or quite likely unlike anything we have faced in quite some time, if not ever.”
While Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew on Wednesday told the news conference that 17,000 people needed to move quickly, including from the city of Flin Flon, who will shelter at soccer fields and community centres in Winnipeg and other cities.
Over 166 active wildfires in Canada
As per the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, more than 166 fires were actively burning across the country, and as of Thursday, 84 of those fires have been deemed "out of control", with major blazes in the provinces of Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia.
Kinew said that the Canadian Armed Forces are working in Manitoba to help firefighters and residents to evacuate. He called the fires "a moment of fear and uncertainty.”
Worst wildfire season in Canada
Canada experienced the worst wildfire season in 2023 when over 42 million acres (17.3 million hectares), an area larger than England and more than double the previous record, burnt.
Experts have linked the worsening wildfire season of Canada to climate change, which is affecting the country significantly as it is warming twice as fast as the global average due to its large landmass, while its Arctic region is warming three times as fast.
