Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta, is formal: the situation is “unprecedented”. The province she leads, located in eastern Canada, is in flames after the start of a hundred forest fires. Authorities have ordered some 25,000 residents to leave their homes, while asking thousands more to be ready to evacuate if the fires are not brought under control.
As of this Sunday, May 7, 122,000 hectares have already gone up in smoke, and around twenty cities are directly threatened by the fires. “We have declared a provincial state of emergency to preserve the safety, health and well-being of Albertans,” said the Premier, who also suspended the ongoing election campaign in the province. THE Calgary Heraldone of Alberta’s leading newspapers, evokes an envelope of 1.5 billion dollars released in order to fight against the spread of fires.
Hot spring and high winds
“Much of Alberta experienced a hot, dry spring and with such weather, it only takes a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires,” Danielle Smith told a news conference. According Radio-Canadamost of the raging fires are believed to have been caused by human activities, while lightning is believed to be the cause of 13 of them.
The situation has been aggravated by the strong winds that have been blowing over the province for several days and fanning the flames. “We are looking forward to a brief reprieve, perhaps in the next few days as the weather cools across the province, which could give firefighters a chance to catch their breath,” the official said. Calgary Herald Christie Tucker, communications officer at Alberta Wildfire, the organization responsible for fighting forest fires in the province.
Solidarity between provinces
These fires are of concern far beyond the borders of Alberta. The fires could indeed spread to the neighboring provinces of Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Also according to Radio Canada, 80 firefighters from the provinces of Ontario and Quebec were called to lend a hand to the Alberta firefighters, while they should be joined by 200 others in the coming days.
Discussions with the federal government to release aid are also underway. “I’m hoping to schedule a call with the Prime Minister in the next few days and I’m building a list of things we can ask for,” Danielle Smith said.