(Montreal) Fires have reignited in the west of the country, prompting the evacuation of several thousand people, while in Quebec, authorities predicted on Saturday that the firefight would last “throughout the summer.”
After a few days of respite, fires started again in Alberta. The evacuation order was issued Friday night in the town of Edson, population about 8,400, the second since early May.
“Some loggers have had to pull back as the fire has gotten out of control,” said Luke Mercier, Yellowhead County executive manager of the Edson region. “They can’t fight this fire.”
Hailey Waits left Edson with her children on Friday evening “with a large group of people.” “When you’re panicking about going all out, all you think about is running away,” she told CBC. “But as soon as I got in the car, I thought, ‘What if I don’t have a house when I get back?’ “.
In northeastern British Columbia, the town of Tumbler Ridge, population 2,400, was also forced to evacuate after the fire spread within a few kilometers of the town.
In Quebec, Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel said Saturday morning that the situation remains difficult in the center and northwest of the province, with many communities still under threat. The Northeast Fire is considered “stable.”
“It’s the first time in the history of Quebec to fight so many fires, to evacuate so many people,” he said. “We are going to have a fight, which we hope will last all summer,” the minister said.
Almost 14,000 people are still under evacuation orders in Quebec, according to the public safety minister.
Across the country, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC) lists 416 active fires, of which 203 are out of control.
Canada is experiencing an unprecedented year, with more than 4.6 million hectares burned since the start of the year, well above the average in recent decades.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
