Canada’s Alberta braces itself for more wildfires amid hot, dry weather
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More than 100 wildfires over the past 1½ weeks forced about 30,000 people to leave home at one point.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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OTTAWA - Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta faces an upsurge in wildfire activity as the country’s west swelters in hot, dry weather and blazes keep thousands from their homes.
The authorities said on Saturday that they had already seen an increase in fire activity and were expecting more. Residents forced to evacuate early in May say they are frustrated with the indefinite displacement.
Special alerts have been declared across western Canada, and officials urged vigilance with temperatures in some areas forecast to hit 30 deg C, 10 to 15 deg C above normal.
“The wildfire danger is extreme in most of the province and will continue to increase in the coming days,” Alberta Wildfire official Josee St-Onge told a briefing on Saturday. “We are expecting wildfire activity to pick up today. In fact, it already has.”
As at Saturday afternoon, there were 83 active wildfires in Alberta, 21 of them out of control, according to the authorities.
About 16,500 people were displaced as at Saturday, down from about 30,000 earlier in May.
Oil and gas producers shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or 3.7 per cent of national production.
Recent cooler weather and rain helped firefighters tackle some blazes
“We remain in an extremely volatile situation and the risk of new wildfires remains significant in much of the province,” said Ms Bre Hutchinson of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.
“Hot and dry conditions are expected to continue over the weekend and into next week.”
Officials urged anyone wanting to help fight fires to contact their local authorities first and work with them.
On Friday, the town of Drayton Valley told residents in a Facebook post that they should expect to be out of their homes for “at least another week”.
The authorities in Brazeau County, south-west of the provincial capital Edmonton and which includes Drayton Valley, said on Facebook on Saturday morning that it had seen an increase in fire activity and expected a further increase.
The Canadian army is helping with firefighting and recovery efforts in the province, where a state of emergency has been in place since May 6.
More than 200 soldiers were deployed after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government approved a request for federal assistance on Thursday, with about 100 more expected to join them over the weekend.
More than 300 firefighters have come from across Canada and another 200 are expected from the United States.
Environment Canada issued an air quality advisory for northern Alberta due to wildfire smoke, urging people to reduce their exposure.
In the west coast province of British Columbia, residents were warned to be alert for fires, with temperatures set to soar over the weekend. The province’s energy agency predicted record-breaking power use.
Transport Canada asked in a tweet on Saturday for people to keep their drones out of the sky near wildfires. “Unauthorised drone use is impeding firefighting operations.”
Ms Marie Svejda, 74, has lost track of how many days she has been living in a tent on an empty lot with her mini dachshund, Peanut. She was awoken at midnight in early May at home in Drayton Valley and told to evacuate with thousands of others.
“It was craziness,” said Ms Svejda, who has been using a nearby petrol station bathroom.
She said she did not understand why it was taking so long to get the fires under control.
“What are they doing there? Are they having a party?... They keep telling us, ‘Be patient. Be patient’. Well, listen: Patience has its limits,” she added.
Now she is preparing to decamp to a hotel. “When I come back, I tell you, I will kiss the ground.” reuters
