Quebec, The Epicentre Of Canadian Wildfires Awaits Reinforcements As Thousands Flee

Posted by: lukwago J in world news June 8, 2023

Close to 460,000 hectares of land have been burnt down and thousands of people are being evacuated from their homes across northern and western regions of Quebec which is the epicentre of wildfires awaiting for the reinforcements to help tackle the out of control blaze.

However according to CBC news, about 11,400 people had to leave their homes far.

However the major flare ups that began in May has gradually shifted to Nova Scotia on the Atlantic coast before this week moving to the French speaking Canadian province.

According to the Forestry minister Maite Blanchette Vezina said noting that it has already surpassed the 1991 total of about 350,000 hectares.

“ We have never seen these many hectares (burn) ,” she said.

Currently so far there are 670 people fighting the fires on the ground excluding the pilots of water-bombing aircraft said Legault.

Meanwhile the province which is struggling to put out 150 fires most of them listed as out of control is hoping extra personnel along with rain to provide some relief.

Over 100,000 people have been forced from their homes

Over 3.8 million hectares have so far been scorched and more than 20,000 people remain displaced across Canada as of Wednesday but officials estimate that the figure is expected to rise.

Meanwhile since May, over 100,000 people have been forced from their homes as wildfires hit all regions of the country including in places like Nova Scotia where large, destructive wildfires are relatively uncommon.

In addition a combination of dry vegetation, record temperatures and powerful winds have fueled the massive fires that initially began in western Canada’s Alberta province.

Canada has called on other foreign countries to intervene and at the moment there are nearly 1000 international firefighters assisting Canadian crews from the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

However scientists say that the extent of the fires and their appearance so early in the year illustrate the impact of climate change.

“ We end up with very dry under growth and trees that are also flammable because they have no leaves ,” Yan Boulanger a specialist in forest fires at the ministry of natural resources told AFP.

Hundreds of American firefighters have recently arrived in Canada, and more are on the way. On the phone today, I spoke with @POTUS Biden about this critical support – and I thanked him for all the help Americans are providing as we continue to fight these devastating wildfires.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 7, 2023

Meanwhile Canadian prime minister Justine Trudeau on Wednesday tweeted that reinforcements had started to arrive from the US with more on the way.

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