High temperatures in the northwest: Hundreds of heat deaths in Canada

Canada’s northwest is suffering from record heat. Hundreds of people have died as a result of the high temperatures. In addition, there are fires that are spreading rapidly in the face of the drought – also in the USA.

Life-threatening temperatures of almost 50 degrees Celsius in a region that is hardly equipped for this: In western Canada and in parts of the USA, people have been suffering from an enormous heat wave for days. In the province of British Columbia alone, 486 people have died of “sudden deaths” since Friday last week, probably in connection with the high temperatures, the Canadian authorities said. Usually 165 deaths are recorded during such periods. Further deaths are feared.

Lytton evacuated

The Canadian town of Lytton, east of Vancouver, was hit particularly hard. There the thermometers showed 49.5 degrees Celsius – an “all-time temperature record” according to the weather authority. Schools and corona vaccination centers had to close, the authorities set up cooling centers. Only a few people have air conditioning, fans have long since sold out, the wooden houses are heating up. Even at night the temperatures hardly drop below 30 degrees.

And with the heat came the fires, which spread quickly in the face of the drought: Mayor Jan Polderman ordered Lyttons to be evacuated due to the fire. “It’s terrible. The whole city is on fire,” he told CBC.

Many farmers also worry about their harvest. A fruit farmer on Vancouver Island complained that the blackberries on the bushes were literally “burning”. In addition, 80 percent of his raspberry harvest had been destroyed.

Heat deaths also in the Northwest of the USA

The US states Washington and Oregon are also firmly under control of the heat wave. In Portland the thermometer climbed to 47 degrees. In Multnomah County alone, which includes Portland’s largest city in Oregon, 45 people have died in connection with the excessive heat since the heat began on Friday, the forensic department said on Wednesday. In Oregon’s northern neighbor state Washington, 16 deaths were counted in connection with the heat wave. In two of them, hyperthermia, i.e. overheating, was detected, the local health authorities said.

And worries about further forest fires are also growing in the USA. In California, 70 square kilometers are already on fire due to the drought and high temperatures. This year could be “more difficult” than last year, when forest fires in the USA destroyed more than four million hectares, warned US President Joe Biden.

Experts warn of more frequent heat waves due to climate change. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said: “We have seen more and more extreme weather phenomena of this type in recent years. So realistically, we know that this heat wave will not be the last.”