Despite rain showers and falling temperatures, the fires are spreading in western Canada. In the meantime, more than 375,000 hectares of land have burned down in the province of Alberta, and more than 29,000 people have had to leave their homes, the authorities said yesterday afternoon (local time). 31 of the 108 active forest fires are out of control.
The province of Alberta declared a state of emergency on Saturday evening due to the extent of the fire. This will allow federal funds to be released to fight the blazes. The area burned up so far corresponds to about a quarter of the size of Schleswig-Holstein.
The extent of the damage cannot yet be estimated, the authorities said. Colin Blair, director of the Alberta Civil Protection Agency, said the priority is protecting lives and dealing with emergencies, according to broadcaster CBC.
Unusually high number of fires
According to the authorities, there have been more than 360 fires since January. This is an exceptionally high number given that May has only just begun. In 2016 Alberta had already experienced huge fires, at that time more than 2400 buildings were destroyed.
In view of climate change, experts warn that the frequency and intensity of forest fires will increase. In the prairie provinces in the west of the country, the average temperature has risen by 1.9 degrees Celsius since the mid-20th century, according to the Agency for Environment and Climate Change Canada.
