ENVIRONMENT – forest fires” gruesome “. The Canadian province of Alberta in the west of the country declared a state of emergency on Saturday, May 6, after around a hundred wildfires broke out there. About 25,000 residents were evacuated.
“We have declared a provincial state of emergency to ensure the safety, health and welfare of Albertans.”Provincial Premier Danielle Smith said at a news conference.
A total of 110 fires fueled by strong winds have been recorded, a third of which have gotten out of control. Satellites captured the impressive wildfires and plumes of smoke as you can see in our video at the top of the article.
122,000 hectares burned
This Canadian province, one of the largest oil producers in the world, “We’ve had a hot, dry spring and with so much kindling, it only takes a few sparks to start some really spooky fires.”explained Danielle Smith.
All of these factors together “led to the unprecedented situation our province is facing today”. About 122,000 hectares were burned, she said, and 20 towns were evacuated. The state government has declared a state of emergency “Increased opportunities to react to extreme situations”said Danielle Smith, specifically the mobilization of additional resources and the release of emergency relief funds.
Alberta — in the midst of an election campaign –, a large area of the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, and much of the Northwest Territories are currently at extreme risk of fire, according to a federal government map.
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