Largest wildfire in history will hit Canada in 2024, what will happen to Indonesian citizens there?

Posted On: September 21, 2023

KOMPAS.com – Wildfires have been hitting Canada since April 2023 and continued to spread until last August.

Several provinces in this region of North America are struggling with fires, including Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Yellowknife, British Columbia and Alberta.

It would be the largest fire in Canadian history. Hot weather conditions are believed to be one of the causes.

Tens of thousands of residents who were near the fire zone were evacuated to other, safer areas.

So, what is the fate of Indonesian citizens (WNI) who are in the areas affected by the fire?

Fires in Canada

As reported by Reuters on Friday (8/18/2023), the Canadian Interagency Wildfire Center (CIFFC) estimates that there will be 5,738 fires throughout 2023. These incidents have burned 13.7 million hectares of territory.

Additionally, this incident even broke the record for the largest fire in Canadian history. The country last experienced fires covering 7.6 million hectares in 1989.

Even as of Wednesday (8/16/2023), there were still 1,054 active wildfires in Canada. Among them, 669 fires were considered difficult to control.

Drought is one of the causes of the fires this year. Most of the country will only experience light hail in winter until March 2023.

Subsequently, the drought persisted throughout the spring.

In addition, most forest fires are also believed to be caused accidentally by human activities.

On Friday (8/18/2023), more than 20,000 people in Yellowknife, northern Canada, were evacuated. Previously, 30,000 people were displaced in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and western Alberta.

Explanation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

CARLO ZAGLIA / DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF CIVIL PROTECTION AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT / AFP

This July 4, 2023 photo released by the Directorate General of Civil Protection and Crisis Management (DGSCGC) shows a helicopter dropping water on a forest fire in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, more than 650 km (400 miles) north of Montreal. . A record 22.7 million acres (9.2 million hectares) have burned so far as wildfires ravage Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Wildfire Center as of July 10 2023.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said there were no deaths among Indonesian citizens (WNI) who were in Canada.

Despite this, a number of Indonesian students have been forced to flee due to fires in that country. Students live in the city of West Kelowna, province of British Columbia, Canada.

“On August 18, 2023, a state of emergency was declared due to a severe fire in West Kelowna. The fire continued to move toward residential areas, including the University of Columbia campus. British in Okanagen,” he explained to Kompas.com, Saturday (19/8). /2023).

Teuku Faizasyah said this fire caused West Kelowna residents to be evacuated to other locations. One of them concerns the city of Kelowna, located 8 kilometers from the city.

He revealed that the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Vancouver coordinated with student leaders and Indonesian community leaders in Kelowna to manage the students.

“Currently, there are 28 Indonesian students in Kelowna. The total number is larger, but most of them are on vacation in Indonesia or working in other cities,” he said.

Among the number of students, 11 of them self-evacuated to Vancouver, located 382.3 km from West Kelowna. They will be accommodated in Indonesian guest houses.

Meanwhile, eight other students are in the available evacuation center in the city of Kelowna.

Then, six Indonesian students were evacuated to a town around West Kelowna that was considered safe and not prone to fires.

Teuku Faizasyah also revealed that three students were still living in their respective apartments. This is because the area was not asked to evacuate.

They will continue to monitor developments and advice from local governments.

“There are two families from the Indonesian diaspora (Indonesians living abroad) who live in West Kelowna and were evacuated to the homes of other Indonesians,” he said.

Teuku Faizasyah confirmed that the Indonesian Consulate General in Vancouver would continue to monitor the development of the fires in Canada.

Information regarding the condition of Indonesian citizens in Canada or requests for assistance can be made by contacting the Consulate General of Indonesia in Vancouver.

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