Worst wildfire season on record: As the worst wildfires in Canadian history rage on, British Columbia declared a state of emergency to deal with the natural disaster.
British Columbia’s Premier David Eby stated, “Over the past 24 hours, the situation has evolved rapidly, and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead,” describing this as the “worst BC wildfire season ever.” We have declared a provincial state of emergency due to the rapidly changing conditions.”
At least 15,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as major cities such as Kelowna come within range of the raging wildfires.
The Canadian Armed Forces have already joined the rescue effort, with Minister of National Defence Bill Blair confirming that evacuation flights are being operated out of Yellowknife. The entire city is being evacuated as it faces being devoured by the fires that surround it.
This year, over 5,500 wildfires have “ravaged” provinces and territories, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Earlier this month, Trudeau blamed the tragic circumstances on climate change. While wildfires formerly afflicted eastern and Atlantic regions such as Quebec, Alberta, and Ontario, they are currently affecting BC and NWT.
According to estimates, over 13.4 million hectares of land had burned this year, compared to 7.6 million hectares in 1989. The annual average for the last ten years is 2.2 million hectares.
Also read: In Malaysia, a plane explodes after colliding with a motorbike and a car, killing ten people
