A total of 76 forest and brush fires are active compared to 110 a few days ago and 24 are still considered uncontrolled, in Alberta, in Western Canada.
New reinforcements arrived in Alberta, in western Canada, on Wednesday to fight unprecedented fires, the number of which has decreased, however, thanks to cooler weather.
Several Canadian provinces, but also nearby American states (Oregon and Alaska), have sent reinforcements to fight the blazes which could regain vigor at the end of the week with the return of high temperatures, according to the authorities.
“The challenge is to avoid exhaustion,” said Christie Tucker, spokesperson for relief, at a press conference on Wednesday.
New reinforcements
“We are very happy to receive new resources from our colleagues in Canada and the United States. I think this will give a much needed boost to firefighters who have been working, for some of them, 24 hours a day since a long time,” she added.
The total number of people affected by evacuation orders also fell, from 29,000 to 24,000. For Allan Gamble, mayor of Parkland County, it is a relief because his fellow citizens were able to return several days after the evacuation of the whole city.
“All residents have been allowed to return and the road has been reopened,” he says, visibly relieved although “worried” for the weeks and months to come.
In his city, the worst was avoided even if some houses and a business were burned by the fire. Around the city, smoke continues to emerge from the fields and forests. Ash is also ubiquitous.
“There have been huge losses”
In the north of the province, some Aboriginal villages have been much more affected, such as the Cree community of Little Red River.
“There were huge losses. More than 150 houses were destroyed or demolished and a number of other infrastructures such as a center for the elderly”, explained the federal Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, referring to more than 4000 people evacuated.
In recent years, western Canada has been hit repeatedly by extreme weather events, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.
