The wildfire season in Canada has started with a bang; also prematurely. Several points in the west of the country are already suffering the consequences of the flames. Experts say that a winter with little snow and particularly pronounced drought conditions in recent weeks have favored these fires. The federal government points out that the country must be prepared for any scenario, since some forecasts point to a catastrophic scenario like that of 2023. Last year’s forest fire season was the worst on record in Canada. The flames destroyed 18m5 million hectares – an area larger than Florida – and forced the evacuation of some 230,000 people.
In British Columbia, a province located on the Pacific coast, there are currently 198 active fires. Some of them started last year, but never died out. Fires in the Peace River region, which recorded 35% less snow in the winter, are extremely worrying due to their extent and force of spread. This Wednesday, the region’s authorities issued an evacuation order for the residents of the town of Chetwynd, although it was canceled a day later. Likewise, traffic on several roads in Peace River and surrounding areas has been affected. “We are surprised by the speed of this start to the fire season,” Bruce Ralston, British Columbia’s Minister of Forests, declared this Monday.
The province of Alberta (also in the west of the country) currently registers 55 active fires. The situation is particularly worrying in the Wood Buffalo region, which has already suffered its first evacuation alerts. Provincial forestry agents say that the hot, dry weather of recent weeks has favored the spread of the flames. Both Alberta and British Columbia authorities have indicated that some of these fires are the result of reckless actions, which is why open fires have been prohibited in some areas. Alberta declared a state of emergency in May 2023 due to the unprecedented wave of fires.
Last year, the flames not only devastated millions of hectares in the country. Smoke and particles invaded large urban centers in Canada, reaching the United States and even Europe. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, Canadian fires generated almost a quarter of the world’s total carbon emissions from forest fires in 2023. The affected provinces had to receive support from the Armed Forces and thousands of firefighters from the United States, Europe, Latin America and Oceania.
In a session held on April 10, ministers of Justin Trudeau’s Government addressed aspects related to this year’s forest fire season. “There are a number of worrying trends. We expect temperatures above average throughout the country,” said Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Civil Protection. The ministerial group warned of an early fire danger in western Canada, eastern Ontario and southern Quebec. It also indicated that in May the flames could spread beyond normal in southern British Columbia, the Canadian Prairies (which includes parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), northern Ontario and western Quebec.
The ministers announced, among other measures, tax incentives to hire more firefighters, the purchase of special equipment to combat the flames and investments so that various indigenous communities are better prepared for this calamity.
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“We have always had forest fires across Canada. What is new is its frequency and its intensity,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, federal Minister of Natural Resources. A report published in 2022 by said ministry indicated that, as a result of conditions increasingly conducive to the spread of fire, the burned area could double by the end of this century compared to that which has been devastated in recent decades.
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