The wildfires in Canada are forcing thousands of people to evacuate; smoke drifts towards Alberta
File image: Canadian authorities are urging all remaining residents of the northeastern part of the province of British Columbia to leave immediately due to the increasing wildfires. (Photo: Bloomberg)
Canadian authorities are urging all remaining residents in the northeastern part of British Columbia province to leave immediately despite improving weather conditions, after thousands have already been evacuated due to a fast-growing wildfire.
The fire, which started on Friday, nearly doubled in size the next day, reaching about 17 square kilometers (4,200 acres). BC Wildfire Service maps showed the fire burning just a few kilometers west of the Fort Nelson city limits.
Online images shared by locals showed thick plumes of smoke rising high into the sky, with houses in the foreground. In some photos, the haze appeared to cover large areas.
The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nation released a joint statement warning people left behind that emergency medical services, groceries or other services are not available.
The borough’s mayor, Rob Fraser, said most of the 3,500 residents in and around Fort Nelson, B.C., have been evacuated, adding that police were going door to door to make sure everyone got out.
He said the Parker Lake fire is one of three major wildfires near Fort Nelson, located in the far northeastern corner of British Columbia, about 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) from Vancouver.
Health authorities say Fort Nelson General Hospital has been safely evacuated and closed until further notice.
Resident Bud Streeper posted a video update from the area on Saturday, saying the winds that had driven the Parker Lake wildfires to exponential growth Friday evening subsided overnight, reducing fire activity around the city.
High winds pushed smoke from the fire into parts of neighboring Alberta on Saturday, putting the city of Edmonton under an air quality advisory with a hazard level above 10, or very high risk.
Meteorologists do not expect any rain and have advised people to stay indoors.
Authorities in Alberta have also warned of a wildfire nearly 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) southwest of the oilsands city of Fort McMurray, which could affect visibility on highways in some areas. No evacuation order has been issued so far.
In 2023, Canada witnessed a record number of wildfires that also caused choking smoke in parts of the US and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate across British Columbia.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: May 12, 2024 | 1:04 PM IST