maaxx.ca

Outaouais: Canada will deploy military forces to fight the fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said as more than 35,000 residents near affected areas were placed under evacuation orders.

British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Friday evening, giving local authorities more powers to deal with wildfires. The main fires have been centered around Kelowna, a city about 300 kilometers east of Vancouver with a population of around 150,000.

But other fires, exacerbated by severe drought, have been reported closer to the US border and in the Pacific Northwest, where separate wildfires have killed at least one person and destroyed dozens of buildings.

Over 380 Forest fires occurred in British Columbia, 150 of which are out of control, according to a report by the Canadian Press. Another 236 wildfires have occurred in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Canadian ministers and other government officials are urging residents living in evacuation zones to take immediate action to save their lives and help ease the strain on firefighters.

British Columbia Premier David Eby also imposed a ban on non-essential travel on Saturday to clear accommodations for evacuees and firefighters.

Authorities have urged citizens to avoid going to blaze areas and avoid using drones to take photos, which they say could hamper the work of firefighters.

Widespread drought

So far, Canadian officials have not provided an estimate of the number of buildings in British Columbia that have been destroyed by the wildfires.

Prime Minister Trudeau said on social media on Sunday that the federal government had agreed to send military aid after an official request from authorities in British Columbia.

Wildfires are common in Canada, but the spread of fires in British Columbia underscores their severity this year. The fires have depleted local resources and attracted federal government assistance and support from 13 countries. At least four firefighters have died in the line of duty.

About 140,000 square kilometers of land in Canada – roughly the size of New York state – has been scorched by wildfires, with haze spreading to the US east coast. Canadian government officials predict the fire season could continue well into the fall amid widespread drought.

About 2,000 km to the north, wildfires have spiraled out of control in Yellowknife, capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, trigger the evacuation almost all of the 20,000 total residents last week. The mass evacuation turned Yellowknife into a ghost town.

The blaze is currently not expected to reach the city limits by the weekend, local officials said, with rain and cooler temperatures helping to slow the fire’s spread.