There have been fires in several provinces in Canada for weeks. Thousands in the east of the country have already had to leave their homes – now another 11,000 people are to flee the flames. And an end to the catastrophe is not in sight.
Because of the spreading forest fires in eastern Canada, the authorities in the province of Quebec have called on more than 11,000 people to flee. The evacuation was ordered, among other things, in the small town of Sept Iles. “This is a scary time for many people from coast to coast,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, referring to hundreds of fires in his country that stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
A hundred fires in Quebec province alone
Sept Iles Mayor Steeve Beaupré declared a state of emergency for the small town on the St. Lawrence River. Due to rapidly spreading forest fires, many people had to leave their homes. Stéphane Lauzon, a member of Quebec’s legislature, said at a press conference in Ottawa that 10,000 people would have to flee – a third of Sept Iles residents. About 1,000 other people were called to flee Chapais in northern Quebec. “The situation in Quebec is evolving rapidly,” Lauzon said. “Many more” fires raged on Friday than the day before. About 20 of the 100 or so fires are out of control.
16,000 people in Nova Scotia displaced
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 at the beginning of May, last week the fire brigade fought fires in the province of Novia Scotia on the Atlantic coast in particular. There alone, more than 16,000 people recently had to leave their homes.
Because of a heat wave, the forest fires are particularly severe this year. The emergency services hope that the forecast for the weekend to cool down with rain will make extinguishing work easier. The local forces are supported by almost 1000 firefighters from the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The Canadian government also sent troops to Nova Scotia and Québec. Canada has repeatedly suffered from extreme weather in recent years. Observers attribute this to climate change.
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