Western Canada has been the victim of a wave of forest fires that have caused the evacuation of more than 35,000 people and have threatened several citiesaccording to local authorities.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the Incident Response Group for the second time in 48 hours, which included ministers and senior officials. Currently, some 1,052 forest fires are active in that country.
For his part, David Eby, Prime Minister of the province of British Columbia, said this Saturday that the situation currently “is discouraging”, statements that came a day after he declared a state of emergency throughout the province, where there are 388 active forest fires.
More than 35,000 people had to be evacuated, and another 30,000 remain under alert that they could receive orders to vacate their homes at any time, Eby added.
The towns of West Kelowna and Kelowna, with a combined population of 160,000 people, remain threatened by the fire.
As a result of the number of people displaced from their homes, the authorities banned tourism in the most affected areas to free up hotel rooms where evacuees and rescue personnel are staying.
“Temporary accommodation in the areas I have mentioned is no longer possible for non-essential visitors”said Borwinn Ma, the British Columbia emergency minister.
In the north of Canada, the situation was similar, where the authorities ordered the evacuation of the 20,000 inhabitants of the capital of the Yellowknife region, where four forest fires prevail.
At least 19,000 people have left Yellowknife, where nearly half of the population of the Northwest Territories lives.
In principle, the flames were expected to reach Yellowknife this Saturdaybut with the drop in temperatures and the rain that was generated at night, the fires have been contained.
However, Rebecca Alty, Mayor of Yellowknife, warned today that the situation remains volatile and dangerous, and warned the city’s residents not to return.
With information from the EFE agency
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