About 1,052 outbreaks remain active and an additional 30,000 people in the area may need to be evacuated.
More than 35,000 people have been forced from their homes in western Canada due to an unprecedented spate of wildfires threatening several cities in the west and north of the country, Canadian authorities revealed on Saturday.
The severity of the situation across Canada, where some 1,052 wildfires are active, forced Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this Saturday to convene the Incident Response Group, made up of ministers and senior officials, for the second time in 48 hours. forces in the crisis.
Meanwhile, David Eby, premier of the province of British Columbia, in the western part of the country, said at a press conference this Saturday that “the current situation is disheartening”. On Friday, Eby declared a state of emergency across the province where 388 wildfires are active.
Eby added that more than 35,000 people had to be evacuated and another 30,000 were on alert to receive orders to leave their homes at any time.
The most affected area is central British Columbia, where the cities of West Kelowna and Kelowna, with a combined population of 160,000, are threatened by the fires.
The sheer number of people displaced from their homes forced authorities this Saturday to ban tourism in the areas hardest hit by the fires in order to free up hotel rooms for the evacuees and staff fighting the flames.
The situation is similar in the north of the country, in the Northwest Territories, where authorities on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of the 20,000 residents of the region’s capital, Yellowknife, which is surrounded by four wildfires.
Some 19,000 people have already left the city, which is home to nearly half of the total population of the Northwest Territories, a region covering 1.34 million square kilometers, 2.6 times the size of Spain.
While it was initially feared that the flames would reach Yellowknife this Saturday, the change in weather conditions, with the drop in temperatures and overnight rain, are helping to contain the fires.
But Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty warned this Saturday that the situation remains very unstable and dangerous, so she asked the city’s residents not to return.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
