REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KELOWNA — Wildfires in Canada’s western province of British Columbia spread on Saturday (8/19/2023). The number of residents evacuated has doubled compared to before. The authorities have warned that the next few days will be even more difficult.
The province declared a state of emergency on Friday (8/18/2023). This status allows agents to access temporary powers of authority to deal with fire-related risks. However, as wildfires raged through the interior of British Columbia, the worst status was imposed.
The fire this time will close part of the main road between the Pacific coast and the west Canada others, and destroys many properties. “The situation is grim at the moment,” Prime Minister Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday.
In addition, he said about 35,000 people were under evacuation orders and another 30,000 were under evacuation warnings. Eby said the province urgently needs temporary shelters for refugees and firefighters.
The local government has also ordered a ban on non-essential travel, to provide more temporary accommodation. Authorities have also urged residents to avoid operating drone in a fire area, as this only hinders extinguishing efforts.
The fires were centered around Kelowna, a city about 300 kilometers (180 miles) east of Vancouver with a population of about 150,000. Wildfires are not uncommon in Canada, but their spread and recent disturbances underscore the severity of the worst wildfires on record this season.
About 140,000 square kilometers (54,054 square miles) of land, roughly the size of New York State, was completely burned. And government officials predict that these fires could last well into the fall, due to widespread drought in Canada.
The British Columbia region has experienced winds due to cold air masses interacting with warm air that builds up during hot summers. This aggravates existing wildfires and ignites new wildfires.
“We are still in very dry conditions and we are still expecting tough days,” said Jerrad Schroeder, assistant director of the Kamloops Fire Center.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a meeting with ministers and senior officials on Saturday to discuss the bushfires. The Incident Response Group, which met for the second time this week, agreed to provide “additional resources” to British Columbia and the Northwest Territories (NWT).
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