Fires in western Canada spread: 29,000 people evacuated

Despite rain showers and falling temperatures, the fires are spreading in western Canada. In the province of Alberta, more than 375,000 hectares of land have now burned and more than 29,000 people have had to leave their homes, authorities said Sunday afternoon (local time).

31 of the 108 active wildfires have gone 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 fires. The area burned so far is about the size of the canton of Vaud.

The recent rains have aided firefighting efforts, said Christie Tucker, chief of the Alberta Wildfire Fire Protection Agency. “This gave the firefighters the opportunity to work on some of the fires that they couldn’t get to due to the extreme course of the fires.” Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are also expected in the coming days. She also asked for help from the neighboring US state of Montana.

Authorities said it was not yet possible to estimate the extent of the damage. Colin Blair, director of the Alberta Civil Protection Agency, said the priority is protecting lives and dealing with emergencies, according to broadcaster CBC.

Authorities say there have been more than 360 fires since January. This is an exceptionally high number as May has only just begun. In 2016, Alberta had already experienced massive fires, when more than 2,400 buildings were destroyed.

With climate change in mind, experts warn that the frequency and intensity of wildfires will increase. In the prairie provinces in the west of the country, average temperatures have increased by 1.9 degrees Celsius since the mid-20th century, according to the Agency for Environment and Climate Change Canada. (sda/dpa)