un record level. According to Canadian authorities, the fires that have raged in the country since the beginning of the year have already destroyed more than 2.7 million hectares. That is eight times more than the average damaged area over the past 30 years. To the west of the country and the Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in early May is now the country’s east’s turn, with Nova Scotia set to be hit by “unprecedented fires”. “These conditions are given at this stage of the season absolutely unprecedented and are obviously a cause for concern,” said Bill Blair, Canada’s Minister for Public Safety, on Thursday, April 1^um June.

There are currently 211 forest fires raging in the country and 82 are out of control, he said. The arrival of an extreme heat wave and strong winds in the east could lead to “extreme behavior of the fires”, according to firefighters.

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Nova Scotia, which has been the focus of everyone’s concerns for the past few days, had 16 fires active Thursday. One of them reached the suburbs of the provincial capital, Halifax, and forced the authorities to do so clear out more than 16,000 people northwest of the city. It appears to be partially under control now.

“We need Mother Nature by our side”

Another fire near Lake Barrington is under close scrutiny as it is still out of control after devastating 20,000 hectares. It is the largest fire ever recorded in the province. As the fires spread, more than 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate that area earlier this week. “We’re far from over the hill. We still face a very dangerous and volatile situation,” said David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. “We need Mother Nature on our side to do this,” he added.

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Smoke from the fires that have been raging in the province for the past three days has even reached the Atlantic coast of the United States, causing air pollution spikes in the state of New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania. In Western CanadaA month after the outbreak, more than 60 fires were still burning in Alberta triggering of the state of emergencyand about 20 in Saskatchewan. Canada, which is warming faster than the rest of the planet, has faced extreme weather events in recent years, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.

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