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08-05-2023
OTTAWA/ EDSON: Raging wildfires spreading across Alberta have forced the Canadian province to announce a state of emergency, with 25,000 people forced to flee their homes due to the out-of-control blazes.
The huge wildfires, fanned by strong dry winds, have grown in number to around 110 as of Sunday, rising from 78 earlier on Saturday. Around 37 of them have been classified as out of control, according to the Alberta government.
Describing it as an “unprecedented crisis”, Alberta’s premier Danielle Smith said: “This is a rapidly evolving situation.
“We’ve declared a provincial state of emergency to protect the safety, health and welfare of Albertans,” she told a news conference on Saturday night after a meeting with the government’s emergency management committee.
Videos on social media showed a huge fire engulfing farms as firefighting helicopters and air tankers worked to control the blaze. It showed farmers racing to evacuate their cattle, herding them to safer locations.
In northern Alberta, near Fox Lake, 20 households, the police station, a store and the water treatment plant were gutted by fire, authorities said.
That wildfire has been classified as out of control and covers about 16,390 hectares, it said, adding that the community has been fully evacuated.
Communities that are under evacuation orders include Athabasca, Big Lakes, Brazeau, Grande Prairie and Yellowhead Counties and the town of Edson, officials said on Saturday afternoon.
Others have been ordered to remain prepared “to evacuate on short notice”.
Alberta is one of the major oil-producing regions of the country. Almost all of Alberta and neighboring Saskatchewan province face extreme risk of wildfires.
Early springs in Alberta often tend to be a dangerous period for wildfires, but the intensity and size of wildfires has increased in the western US and neighboring regions.
Studies and research have suggested that hot and dry weather linked with global warming has contributed to these intensifying wildfires.
Ms Smith said earlier this week that the province “has been experiencing a hot, dry spring and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires.” (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
