Canada is sending the military to fight fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as the western province grapples with blazes that have led to orders to evacuation for more than 35,000 people.
British Columbia declared a state of emergency and imposed a ban on non-essential travel to free up accommodation for evacuees and firefighters, and urged drone operators and others capturing footage of the fires to stay away. rescuers away.
In some cities in British Columbia, the air quality index (AQI), which measures the main pollutants, including particles produced by fires, was above 350, a “dangerous” level, showed IQAir, a real-time air quality information platform.
As of midnight (0400 GMT), Salmon Arm had the worst air quality index in the country, with an AQI of 470. Among other cities, Kelowna College and Sicamous both had an AQI of 423.
West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said he saw some hope after battling “epic” fires over the past four days. He said conditions improved, helping firefighters put “boots on the ground” and pour water on the blazes that threatened the city of 150,000 people.
“We finally feel like we’re moving forward rather than backwards, and that’s a great feeling,” Brolund told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Trudeau said in a tweet that the federal government will offer Canadian military support “to assist with evacuations, staging” and other logistical tasks in response to a request from the British Columbia government.
Wildfires are not uncommon in Canada, but the spread of fires and disturbances underscores the severity of its worst wildfire season to date, which some experts have attributed to climate change.
Other fires, exacerbated by severe drought, have been reported closer to the US border and in the US Pacific Northwest.
Just across the border in Washington state, firefighters battled two major fires, the Gray Fire and the Oregon Road Fire, which combined had blackened more than 20,000 acres of forest and destroyed over of 100 structures.
In Canada, government officials have urged residents of evacuation zones to leave immediately to save their lives and prevent firefighters from dying trying to rescue them.
Authorities gave no estimate of the total number of destroyed buildings. Videos and photos on social media showed destroyed structures and vehicles, as well as huge flames consuming trees.
The Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain Pipeline and its proposed expansion, which runs to the Pacific Coast through the interior of British Columbia, have not been affected by the fires, a local official said on Sunday. company spokesperson.
The Coquihalla section of the pipeline expansion, southwest of Kamloops, is closest to the fire.
“Underground pipelines are typically buried a few feet below the surface and are protected from fire by the ground and the constant movement of liquid moving through the pipeline,” the spokesperson added.
The fires have drained local resources and attracted help from the federal government as well as support from 13 countries. At least four firefighters have died.
About 140,000 square kilometers (54,054 square miles) of land, roughly the size of New York state, has been scorched across the country, with a smoky haze extending to the states’ east coast -United. Government officials predict the fire season could stretch into the fall due to widespread dry conditions.
sky on fire
About 2,000 km to the north, an out-of-control wildfire in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, prompted the evacuation of nearly all of its 20,000 residents last week.
The blaze is not expected to reach the city limits by the end of the weekend, officials said, with rain and cooler temperatures helping to slow its progress.
Krista Flesjer, who evacuated the city with her dogs, said the trip was difficult.
“I was afraid of being caught in the fires that were crossing the road,” she said.
For Flesjer, the main worry is whether his house, which is only two years old, will survive.
In British Columbia, the Trans-Canada Highway was closed near Chase, about 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Vancouver. The highway is the main east-west artery used by thousands of motorists and truckers heading to Vancouver, the country’s busiest port.
Kip Lumquist, who works in a gift shop in Craigellachie, a tourist spot on the highway, said she had seen a lot of devastation over the past week.
“It was crazy. We couldn’t see hills, mountains, trees, anything, probably (for) two and a half days,” Lumquist said. “I drive a white vehicle, and when I got out to get in my car…it’s just black….It’s devastating to the community.”
