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In the last three months, thousands of fires have developed in Canada that have burned 90,000 square kilometers, breaking a record that had lasted for 34 years: it is already now the worst forest fire season in the history of the country. But things could get worse: some state officials have said that many more fires, probably serious and very widespread, will develop in the coming weeks due to the high temperatures expected in late July and into August.
Wildfires in Canada are common in the June to August season, mostly in the western provinces, but this year they have been going on since May especially in the eastern ones. Fires had started in April in British Columbia and Alberta in western Canada. In the following weeks, they had also formed in the east, in the provinces of Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC), there were 3,675 more serious and extensive fires this year than in the past, 20 percent more than the average for the past ten years. About 155,000 people have been forced to leave their homes at least temporarily. There are currently 807 active fires.
The worst summer so far was 1989, when around 78,000 square kilometers of forest burned throughout the season. Experts say this year’s data is “off the charts” as the season is more than two months away. “It is not an understatement to say that this fire season will continue to set several records,” said Michael Norton, managing director of the Northern Forestry Centre.
Fires take advantage of abnormal weather conditions, favored and increasingly frequent due to climate change. The high temperatures recorded in Canada have made the snow melt faster and the vegetation dry out. In the event of lightning strikes or arsonists, plants burn much faster and fires spread rapidly.
In recent days, 34C has been reached in northern Quebec, a hotter temperature than cities much further south such as Miami. “Drought is a major contributing factor affecting all Canadian provinces and more severely in some regions,” Norton continued. “The combination of drought and above-normal temperatures allows us to predict that freak fires will continue to develop in many parts of Canada.”
In Canada about 3,800 firefighters are engaged in putting out the blazes. Another 1,800 firefighters have arrived from other countries: Canada has signed collaboration agreements with the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, France, Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Chile.
Wildfires in Canada continue to affect many northern US cities due to smoke carried by air currents. The air conditions have led city governments to limit outdoor activities: swimming pools, water parks and summer camps for children have been closed in Cleveland and Madison. Many cities have extended shelter services for the homeless into daytime hours, normally only at night, and the use of surgical masks outside has been recommended. Smoke from the Canadian fires also crossed the Atlantic and reached Europe.
– Read also: Fires in Canada continue to fill many American cities with smoke