Wildfires in Canada force thousands of people to evacuate their homes
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Version 0 of 1. Wildfires were burning out of control across large swathes of western Canada on Friday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. In Saskatchewan one out-of-control blaze was more than five times the size of the province’s largest city, Saskatoon, officials said. Fires also raged in British Columbia and Alberta. Air advisories have been issued across central and western Canada, as well as parts of the western US, due to the thick smoke over the region. About 200 fires burned in British Columbia, fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said. About 2,300 people were fighting the blazes and a crew of about 50 people from Australia were expected to join them next week. Data posted by the Canadian interagency forest fire centre said wildfires have burned almost 2.4m acres (1m hectares) in Saskatchewan alone so far this year. In one of the hardest hit parts of Saskatchewan, Montreal Lake, about 200 Canadian soldiers pushed through the bush trying to keep the area safe from the flames. Trisha Halkett, 20, sat on a bench outside a local hotel, her two-year-old daughter and husband by her side. She said she hopes she will be able to return home by the time her second baby is born next month. “I certainly hope so,” she said, patting her stomach. Kim Weir, a Parks Canada spokeswoman, said a wildfire burning in Jasper national park has grown substantially, forcing campers and other visitors out of the area. The popular park remains open, but with a ban on campfires. Officials said some relief might be in store for firefighters in British Columbia, with showers and cooler weather forecast. |