(Montreal) Residents of two provinces and a territory in Western Canada remain affected by the forest fires which threaten a multitude of communities after devastating some of them.
In Alberta, the provincial government says hot, dry conditions are expected to continue for the next few days. Such weather conditions will be trying for the approximately 2,500 people who are fighting the flames in several regions of the center and north of the province.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped in Edmonton on Monday before heading to South Korea for an official visit. He met with some of the 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have been called in to help fight the wildfires. Trudeau and Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, who was accompanying him, were briefed on threats from rising temperatures and drought.
As of Tuesday evening, more than 19,470 people had been driven from their homes in Alberta, and 24 of 86 active wildfires were considered out of control.
Meanwhile, in British Columbia, more than 63 wildfires were still burning, having already razed 500 square kilometers. The old record for the past ten years was 110 square kilometers.
Fort St. John and the surrounding area have been placed on evacuation alert due to the proximity of four wildfires, while the flames are now only 25 kilometers from the city limits.
The Stoddart Creek blaze, driven by strong winds, is estimated to be 235 square kilometers. The Red Creek fire, meanwhile, covers 29 square kilometres.
City authorities issued the alert on Monday afternoon, asking their approximately 21,000 residents to prepare to quickly leave their homes, if necessary.
A lull in the winds on Tuesday allowed some 400 firefighters and 22 helicopters to prepare for conditions that are likely to worsen in the region with the arrival of a warm front. This rise in temperature, bringing with it problematic changes in winds, could arrive as early as Wednesday evening, said Hanna Swift, spokesperson for the province’s forest fire department.
In all, 37 daily high temperature records were set Monday in British Columbia, and 18 more were equaled or exceeded in Alberta. Environment Canada heat alerts are still in place in parts of British Columbia, but have been lifted in Alberta. However, the latter is still subject to poor air quality warnings.
A village in northern Saskatchewan, Buffalo Narrows, has in turn announced a mandatory evacuation order. Mayor Sandy Ericson explained on social media that the poor air quality caused by the smoke, along with the loss of electrical power, made the area unsafe. A total of 28 wildfires were burning in Saskatchewan on Tuesday.
Finally, in the Northwest Territories, the K’atl’odeeche First Nation and the town of Hay River, located approximately 120 kilometers from the northern border of Alberta, are subject to evacuation orders because of the threat posed by wildfires still out of control.