International

Wildfire Season Resumes In Canada, Government Warns of 'Catastrophic' Summer Ahead

In Canada, wildfire season has come early this year. over 110 wildfires are active in British Columbia and 66 in neighbouring province of Alberta. As the fires blaze, the governments have issued evacuation orders for residents in high risk areas.

BC Wildfire Service
Wildfire Season Resumes In Canada Photo: BC Wildfire Service
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Wildfire season in Canada has come early this year. As per local reports, many fires broke out in British Columbia over the past few days. As these fires continue to blaze, firefighters are struggling to put out the wildfires of 2023, which are still ablaze.

As per a report by AFP, over 110 wildfires are active in British Columbia and around 66 are active in the neighbouring province of Alberta.

With 2024's first wildfires ablaze, the British Columbia government has warned of a "catastrophic" summer ahead.

In British Columbia, the wildfires were reportedly human-made. AFP reporters that the firefighters are focusing on dousing the fire on central Cariboo where a human-caused fire spread out of control across the whole forest over the weekend.

The Canadian government warned at the starting of April that it has noticed a "concerning" trend of above-normal temperatures and extreme drought conditions across the North American country.

“With the heat and dryness across the country, we can expect that the wildfire season will start sooner and end later and potentially be more explosive," stated the Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan.

In 2023, Canada reported the worst wildfire season. The wildfires of last year, which are still blazing, killed around eight firefighters and first responders and displaced 230,000 people.

Local government have issued evacuation orders in Alberta and British Columbia as the fire spreads and becomes out of control. As per CTV News, the wildfires have already burnt through 1,600 hectares of land.

As per the British Columbia Wildfire Service, most of the province has been placed at high risk for fire.