Thousands forced to flee after wildfire and floods across western Canada

More than 13,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in western Canada, as of Friday (May 5), after a week of record-hot weather, exceeding seasonal averages by as much as 10 degrees Celsius, which have since triggered wildfires. On the other hand, rapid snow melt has trigged flooding across interior British Columbia.

Wildfires in Alberta

The officials have said that around 13,000 residents were under evacuation orders, in the Canadian province of Alberta, the region worst affected by forest fires. On Friday, as per reports, the province witnessed nearly 80 active fires out of which many were out of control.

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This comes as a western and central part of the country which is home to a large part of Canada’s agricultural land is witnessing “abnormally dry” and even “severe drought” in places, reported AFP citing data from the government.

In this context, among the worst-hit areas was the territory of the Little Red River Cree Nation, which comprises three communities in the north of the province, including Fox Lake, where fire has engulfed as many as 20 houses.

According to Christie Tucker, an information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire, there have been nearly 350 wildfires in Alberta this year, which have burned more than 25,000 hectares. “This is significantly more wildfire activity for this time of year than we have seen any time in the recent past,” said Tucker, at a press conference, as quoted by Reuters.

She added, “It's going to get hotter, it's going to get windier and we are expecting some extreme wildfire behaviour. Firefighters are at the ready today for what could be an extremely challenging day.” The official warned that fires were expected to intensify.

Floods and fire in British Columbia

While one part of Canada is dealing with dry conditions and wildfires, British Columbia, on the Pacific coast, is witnessing a terrible combination of both, several wildfires inland and rapid snowmelt that has raised the level of rivers in the southern part of the province. Media reports citing officials have said that some rivers have burst their banks.

“Multiple days of unusually warm temperatures have generated rapid snowmelt and high streamflows across much of the BC Interior, with severe flooding underway in some areas,” said the provincial authorities, in a statement, as quoted by the news agency AFP. It added, “Severe flooding is possible, and extreme flooding...is plausible, in areas that receive high rainfall.”

The authorities are also concerned about the heavy rains expected at the weekend which could worsen the situation. “The situation is expected to worsen as rainfall and thundershowers are forecast for Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, which increases the likelihood of flooding,” said the Ministry of Emergency Management said in a statement, as per Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)

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