climate
Situation in Canadian wildfire areas eases slightly
Fire fighting in a wooded area in Nova Scotia. photo
© —/Communications Nova Scotia via The Canadian Press/AP/dpa
With the help of fire brigade leaders from abroad, attempts have been made in Canada for weeks to get the fire under control in large areas of the country. Now there is reason for optimism.
After weeks of severe forest fires in Canada, the authorities see a slight relaxation in the situation. According to the responsible authority for mineral resources, all fires around Halifax on the east coast of the country are under control, reported the Canadian television CBC. In Shelborne County, which is also in Nova Scotia, they are optimistic that the situation will soon be completely under control, it said. The first evacuees could return to their homes.
In the province of Québec in the northeast of the country, on the other hand, 143 fires were still active on Sunday, and not all of them could be fought at the same time, said Public Order Minister François Bonnardel. An area of around 183,000 hectares was affected – more than twice the area of Berlin. The province of Québec is almost five times the size of Germany and has around 8.5 million inhabitants.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Twitter on Saturday that he would use members of the Canadian armed forces to fight the fires. Canadian media reported last week that around 1,200 international firefighters traveled to the country to fight the fires.