Canada: Extreme heat set fire to more than 100 forests

There has been some reduction in high temperatures, but Canada can’t seem to ease up: More than 100 fires are raging in British Columbia. The army is on alert to assist local fire departments.

In Canada and the United States, frequent droughts and high temperatures cause many wildfires. According to Cliff Chapman of the Wildfire Service, 136 fires were recorded in the Canadian province of British Columbia alone.

12,000 lightning strikes in one day. This is what causes most of the forest fires. After a record heat of about 45 degrees Celsius, temperatures have now dropped, but are still above average, Chapman said.

army on alert

Due to the fire, the army is ready to help the local emergency services. Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said after a meeting of the crisis team led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa.

“We will be there to help,” the prime minister said at a press conference. According to Trudeau, he has already spoken to British Columbia’s prime minister, John Horgan, as well as mayors and local people’s leaders in threatened areas.

1000 people fled from the flames

The province of British Columbia, located on the Pacific Ocean, has been facing severe heat and drought for several days. The area around the city of Kamloops, 350 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, is particularly hard hit. Nearly 1,000 people have already fled the flames, many of whom are missing.

The town of Lytton, some 250 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, was evacuated on Thursday night after the fire spread rapidly. The place was almost completely destroyed. Earlier, Litton had recorded 49.6 degrees Celsius across the country.

hundreds dead

In British Columbia, the heat wave contributed to hundreds of deaths, according to officials. Within a week, there were 719 sudden and unexpected deaths in the province – more than three times the normal, the forensic medicine said. The authority believes that the sharp increase is related to extreme heat.

In the US state of California, hot and dry weather aggravated the fire situation. Three large fires burned to the north, causing thousands of people to flee from time to time. However, many residents were able to return to their homes on Friday. Several buildings in the rural area were destroyed, the “San Francisco Chronicle” reported.

A forest agency spokesman for the Shasta Trinity National Forest said the vegetation has already dried up as it is usually seen by the end of August.