NEW YORK – A state of emergency has been declared in the Canadian province of Alberta due to the hot, dry conditions fuelling numerous wildfires, reported German news agency (dpa).
“The number of wildfires and evacuations has increased again and we must prioritise the safety of Albertans,” state premier Danielle Smith wrote on Twitter on Saturday, saying “all our resources” have been deployed to fight the flames.
She called the situation an “unprecedented crisis”, at a separate media briefing.
According to the authorities, almost 25,000 people have had to leave their homes.
Some 109 fires were active, with 33 of them listed as out of control. Almost 122,000 hectares of land have been burned in recent days.
Christie Tucker, information unit manager with Alberta Wildfire, told Canada’s CBC that 800 hectares on average burned this time of year.
Strong winds and high temperatures were forecast to continue.
Temperatures records have fallen, with areas of the province reaching as high as 32 degrees Celsius.
Some of the fires are only 12 hectares in size, while others stretch across thousands. One hectare is equivalent to 10,000 square metres.- Bernama
