Alberta: Thousands of people were forced to evacuate areas near wildfires in western Canada sparked by abnormally high temperatures, which at times exceeded the seasonal average by 10 degrees Celsius in early May .
In the province of Alberta, the region hardest hit by wildfires, more than 70 active fires were reported Friday, some of which were out of control.
City of TRT WorldOn Saturday May 6, 2023, local authorities indicated that approximately 13,000 residents were under evacuation orders.
This Saturday, around 80 firefighters are expected to arrive from Ontario and Quebec to help put out the forest fires, 19 of which are not yet under control.
The main focus of firefighting efforts is Fox Lake in the northern province of Alberta, where wildfires have spread across nearly 1,500 hectares and destroyed a small community of about 20 homes.
British Columbia, on the Pacific coast, is doubly affected: several active fires are raging inland, while the south of the province is threatened by melting snow which has raised river levels, some to the point of overflowing.
Western and central Canada, where most of the country's agricultural land is concentrated, are currently experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions, even “severe drought” in certain regions, indicates the latest Canadian government survey.
Possible flooding
According to authorities, heavy rains expected this weekend could worsen the situation.
“Extraordinarily warm temperatures over the past few days have led to rapid snowmelt and rising river levels across much of the British Columbia interior, with severe flooding continuing in some areas,” said the provincial authorities of British Columbia in a press release.
“Severe flooding is possible, but also extreme flooding, especially in areas that receive heavy rainfall,” he continued.
“Peak river water levels are generally expected to occur between Saturday and Monday,” provincial authorities said.
In recent years, Western Canada has been repeatedly hit by extreme weather conditions, increasing in intensity and frequency due to global warming.
In addition to the catastrophic flooding, British Columbia was also hit by a “historic” heat dome two years ago, which claimed hundreds of lives and was followed by massive fires.
Also read: Canada struggles to put out more than 170 forest fires
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