According to the authorities, more than 100 forest fires are currently raging in Canada – 33 of them are out of control. The province of Alberta declared a state of emergency. Their Prime Minister spoke of an “unprecedented crisis”.
A state of emergency has been declared in the Canadian province of Alberta in response to numerous forest fires. This was announced by the province’s Prime Minister, Danielle Smith, on Twitter. All resources must be used to combat the “unprecedented crisis,” Smith warned.
Almost 25,000 people brought to safety
According to the authorities, almost 25,000 people have had to leave their homes. The evacuated cities include Drayton Valley with around 7,000 inhabitants, around 140 kilometers west of Alberta’s capital Edmonton.
About 550 kilometers north of the provincial capital, a large fire destroyed 20 houses, a department store and a police station in the town of Fox Lake. Residents were brought to safety by boat and helicopter.
109 fires are active and spreading quickly because of the heat and drought, local authorities said. 33 of them are out of control. Almost 122,000 hectares of land have already burned down – an area almost half the size of Saarland.
Vegetation dry and highly flammable
Alberta Wildfire’s Christie Tucker said fires at this time of year have burned an average of about 2,000 acres in the past, according to broadcaster CBC. An easing of the situation is not in sight. Strong winds and high temperatures are expected to continue. Temperatures have been 10 to 15 degrees above normal for some time. This means that the vegetation is very dry and highly flammable.
Some of the fires are only twelve hectares in size, others stretched over thousands of hectares. The high temperatures, the wind and the drought favored the spread of the fires. One hectare equals 10,000 square meters.
More than 360 fires since January
According to the authorities, there have been more than 360 fires since January. That was an exceptionally high number of fires given that May had only just begun.
Alberta is one of the most important oil producing regions in the world. The fracking companies are monitoring the situation closely and have so far not reported any interruption in production.
Government ready to pay aid if needed
Disaster Relief Secretary Bill Blair tweeted that the Ottawa government was ready to provide federal assistance if needed.