A heat warning and strong winds are a bad combination for the dozens of wildfires still ravaging Alberta, forcing thousands of evacuations. All at a time when discontent is beginning to be felt in the population.
Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for all of northern Alberta and part of northern Saskatchewan. The mercury could reach 30 degrees Celsius as early as Saturday during the day, and will not drop below 14 degrees overnight.
These temperatures are 10 to 15 degrees above seasonal norms. The sun and the abnormal heat should last at least until Friday in the north of the province, according to forecasts from the federal agency. A heat wave that raises fears of an amplification of forest fires.
Already on Saturday, the authorities of one region observed an intensification of the fires, according to the Reuters agency.
The tally of wildfires went up on Saturday. As of late afternoon, 86 wildfires are still active in the province, according to Wildfire Alberta. And 25 of them are out of control.
Smoke from forest fires also reduces visibility and air quality, the federal agency also warns.
Around 16,500 people are still being evacuated from their homes. In total, nearly 30,000 people have had to flee their homes at some point since the fires started, according to Reuters. The state of emergency, declared since May 6, therefore continues in this province in the west of the country.
The grumbling rises
Some evacuees are beginning to grow impatient, multiple media reported on Saturday. Some want to return home to put in place preventive measures to protect their homes. Others want to take care of farm animals that have been left behind.
In Grande Prairie County, some 450 kilometers northwest of Edmonton, a member of the public operating his bulldozer “endangered his safety and the safety of his employees by causing trees to fall into the fire and almost rushing on firefighters and their equipment, ”denounced the authorities in a press release on Saturday.
The population must “understand that the decisions taken to counter the fires are highly coordinated and that members of the public cannot act on their side, even if they want to do well”, they warned.
“Our crews are made up of professional firefighters trained in everything from protecting structures to wild land fires, and getting in their way puts them at risk and reduces our ability to protect people and property. the count. Our goal is first to protect people, second to protect property. »
In the midst of the election campaign, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith must also manage the crisis. Saturday morning, she announced at a press conference that she had approved the construction of a firewall around the city of Grande Prairie.
American firefighters, about 200, should arrive on Saturday to reinforce the approximately 300 members of the Canadian Forces planned. Of these, 200 are already on the ground, according to Radio-Canada.
With the Canadian Press