Canada is experiencing almost the worst wildfire season in its entire history 1,100 active fires throughout the country (668 out of control). A crisis that particularly affects Northwest Territorieswith 236 different light bulbs, from where thousands of people flee to other regions by car and plane. Actually the biggest evacuation action that has ever been seen in the area.
An entire city evacuated
The most striking case is that of yellow knifeCapital of the Northwest Territories, with a population of 20,000 inhabitants. Authorities felt compelled by warnings that the flames could reach the city over the weekend evacuate it completely between last Thursday and this Friday afternoon. Most could do so in their vehicles, and those unable to obtain military support could fly to Calgary in nearby Alberta. The fire is now less than 15 kilometers from the city.
On the other hand, authorities last weekend ordered the evacuation of the communities of Fort Smith, K’atl’odeeche First Nation, Hay River, Enterprise and Jean Marie River. Business is already destroyed while in hay flow (population 3,650) supplies are running low and the mayor is telling the remaining residents to leave immediately.
The climate crisis, guilty
According to the authorities, the climate crisis It is to blame for the situation that is suffocating the whole country with record temperatures and extreme drought. Even the strong winds that spread the flames quickly don’t help. The result: almost 160,000 square kilometers of burnt forest (the equivalent of the area of all of Greece) and thousands of climate refugeessome of them housed in makeshift camps.
Shane Thompson, Secretary of State for Local and Community Affairs, said in a press release: “We are in a crisis situation and our government is using every tool available to help.” But they are not enough. This is why they applied for the first time Help for the European Union to deal with the crisis, including the deployment of firefighters who can help with the extinguishing tasks.
Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and the United States have already dispatched special personnel to combat the outbreaks across the country.