Canada’s military has been deployed to the far north on Sunday to combat the hundreds of uncontrollable wildfires, while residents of remote communities are evacuating due to the advancing blazes.
Meanwhile, the province of British Columbia, located on Canada’s Pacific Coast, is preparing for a heat wave that is expected to further intensify the fires currently burning there.
Defense Minister Bill Blair expressed solidarity with the people of the Northwest Territories, who are currently facing severe wildfires, stating on X (formerly known as Twitter), “In response to a request for assistance, the @CanadianForces will help with firefighting efforts, air transportation, and planning, coordination, and logistics.”
The specific number of military personnel deployed has not been disclosed, but in recent months, the Canadian military has sent hundreds of troops to four other provinces to aid in firefighting efforts along with nearly 11,000 firefighters, including 5,000 from other countries.
This wildfire season has seen megafires spread across the country with unprecedented intensity, forcing 168,000 Canadians to evacuate their homes. The fires have scorched 13.5 million hectares, nearly twice the area of the previous record of 7.3 million hectares, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC).
While temperatures are not expected to exceed the record high set in June 2021, when Lytton experienced a temperature of 49.6 degrees Celsius (121.3 Fahrenheit) and was subsequently devastated by a fire that claimed the lives of at least two residents.
“A strong ridge of high pressure will bring rising temperatures to the South Coast (region of British Columbia),” the agency warned in an advisory, adding that the heat will provide little relief due to above-average daytime temperatures and elevated overnight temperatures.
Cultus Lake, located east of Vancouver, reached a temperature of 31.1 degrees Celsius and became the hottest spot in Canada on Sunday. Parts of British Columbia are forecasted to reach 40 degrees Celsius this week.
© 2023 AFP
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Military joins wildfire fight in Canada’s far north (2023, August 14)
retrieved 14 August 2023
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