(Ottawa) Evacuations of residents continued Monday due to the advancing flames which threaten a city in western Canada plagued by violent fires very early in the season.
“The next 48 hours will be decisive,” said Bowinn Ma, the emergency management minister of British Columbia, the Pacific coast province.
In total, nearly 5,000 people were ordered to evacuate in this region due to a fire considered out of control and which exceeded 5,200 hectares in the north near Fort Nelson.
After experiencing the worst fire season in its history last year, the country experienced one of its warmest winters, with little snow in many regions. Conditions that raise fears of another apocalyptic summer, especially since some fires burned all winter.
“We are extremely worried,” added Bowinn Ma, during a press conference, referring to difficult conditions with a “severe drought and the arrival of westerly winds”.
“It is very rare that we have this many people under evacuation orders at this time of year,” she said.
In total, the province recorded 137 forest fires in progress as of Monday morning, including 14 out of control.
In the neighboring province of Alberta, helicopters were battling 45 active fires, including two out of control.
One of them is particularly monitored because it is close to Fort McMurray, a city known for its tar sands exploitation, which was ravaged in 2016 by a monster fire, forcing the evacuation of 90,000 people.
Another hot spot: Manitoba in the center of the country where a fire has already destroyed 35,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of 550 people over the weekend. Federal Minister of Civil Protection Harjit Sajjan said he was “very worried” on Monday about the situation in these three provinces.
Since this weekend, the smoke from these fires has been responsible for a significant deterioration in air quality, a situation already experienced by millions of North Americans. On Monday, across the border, Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin were affected.