More than 17,000 people were evacuated today in the province of Manitoba, Central Canada, after the region experienced an extremely difficult start to the wildfire season, authorities said, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reports.
Due to global warming, Canada is increasingly becoming the victim of extreme weather events, including massive wildfires. In 2023, the country experienced the worst fire season in its history.
“This is the largest evacuation operation in Manitoba in recent times“, said the province's Premier Uab Kinyu at an emergency press conference. He stressed that a state of emergency has been declared throughout the region.
A military aircraft will be sent immediately to assist in the evacuation of people in the most remote and difficult-to-reach areas.
In the past month, fires have burned almost 200,000 hectares of forest - three times the average annual area affected in the region.
There are currently 134 active fires burning in Canada, spread across several provinces, including Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.