Western Canada declares fire emergency
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Canada’s western province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency Tuesday, with wildfires expected to grow even larger in the coming days due to high heat and winds.
“We have reached a critical point,” said provincial public safety minister Mike Farnworth.
“Based on the advice of emergency management and wildfire officials, and my briefing last night on the worsening weather, I am declaring a provincial state of emergency.”
The decision empowers officials to organize mass-scale evacuations and to provide emergency accommodation for evacuees, he added.
Some 5,700 people were under evacuation orders in the province Tuesday — more than double the previous day’s tally, as the threatened region grew in size.
Around 32,000 more residents have been placed on alert.
Fires have been ravaging western Canada and the United States (US) west coast for several weeks following a scorching heat wave in late June that experts have tied to climate change.
Chapman said around 3,000 square kilometers has already gone up in smoke in British Columbia — more than three times higher than the average area typically burnt by this point in the year.
The province has nearly 300 active wildfires, spurred by hot, dry weather that is expected to continue in the coming days, in addition to rising winds that may spread the flames.
The interior and southwest of British Columbia, including part of its border with the US, are particularly affected. More than 3,000 firefighters are currently battling blazes across the province.