There have been fires in several provinces across Canada for weeks. Thousands of people in the east of the country have already had to leave their homes – now another 11,000 have to flee the flames. And the end of the disaster is not in sight.
Hundreds of fires in the province of Quebec alone
Due to the spread of wildfires in eastern Canada, authorities in the province of Quebec have called on more than 11,000 people to flee. The evacuation was ordered, among other places, in the small town of Sept-Îles. “This is a scary time for many people from coast to coast,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to hundreds of fires in his country that stretch from the Atlantic to the Peaceful.
16,000 people displaced in Nova Scotia
Sept-Îles Mayor Steeve Beaupré has declared a state of emergency for the small town on the St. Lawrence River. Due to the rapid spread of forest fires, many people have had to leave their homes. Stephane Lauzon, member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, told a press conference in Ottawa that 10,000 people would have to flee – a third of the residents of Sept-Îles. About 1,000 other people were called to flee Chapais in northern Quebec. “The situation in Quebec is changing rapidly,” said Mr. Lauzon. “Many more” fires raged on Friday than the day before. About 20 of the approximately 100 fires are out of control.
There were more than 210 fires across Canada Friday, with more than 90 out of control. The flames have already destroyed more than 2.7 million hectares. After the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were particularly affected in early May, last week firefighters fought fires in the province of Nova Scotia on the Atlantic coast in particular. There alone, more than 16,000 people have recently had to leave their homes.
Due to a heat wave, forest fires are particularly violent this year. The emergency services hope that the forecast for the weekend of cold weather with rain will facilitate the work of extinction. Local forces are supported by nearly 1,000 firefighters from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The Canadian government also sent troops to Nova Scotia and Quebec. Canada has repeatedly suffered from extreme weather conditions in recent years. Observers attribute this to climate change.
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