16,000 people evacuated: Canadian firefighters desperately fight wildfires

class=”sc-29f61514-0 kHgAwW”>

Nova Scotia is facing a crisis and needs “all the help we can get,” provincial premier Tim Houston said Wednesday. The fires are “unprecedented”. A total of 14 wildfires raged in the Eastern Canadian province, including one near the city of Halifax. More than 16,000 residents in the northwest of the city had to be evacuated.

According to the fire service, three of the 14 forest fires were no longer under control on Wednesday. More than 200 houses, buildings and other structures have already been damaged or destroyed. However, so far no one has been injured.

Trudeau promises unlimited help

Twelve firefighting planes were dispatched to Nova Scotia from neighboring provinces, and Coast Guard officials reinforced fire crews and assisted in the evacuation of residents. Support also came from the US. Nova Scotia Prime Minister Houston also asked the military for help. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the situation as “heartbreaking” and promised unlimited aid.

One couple told broadcaster CBC that they had lost both their home and the daycare they operated as a result of the fires: “That was my life,” Terri Kottwitz said through tears.

She doesn’t know if her house is still standing, says Janis Churchill-Moher, who was evacuated from a village in the south of the province. “Our neighbors have farms. All they could do was grab their kids and as many animals as they could and run,” she reported. “People are tired, frustrated and scared,” said Halifax Mayor Mike Savage.

Firefighters expect more fires

Smoke from the wildfires drifted south along the Atlantic coast, triggering air quality warnings in the US states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. According to the Halifax Fire Department, the fires are likely to continue for some time given record temperatures in the region.

Houston banned all activities in his county’s forests, including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, four-wheel drive and logging. “Stop throwing cigarette butts out of the car window. Just stop. Our armed forces are already heavily involved in fighting existing fires,” he said.

For several years, Western Canada has been repeatedly hit by extreme weather events that experts say are increasing in severity and frequency due to climate change.

(AFP)

Source: Blick