The number of wildfires continues to rise in Canada, where more than 670 fires were counted as of Friday, including more than 380 out of control,”oversized numbers» already with one «long, hard summer“in perspective.”The numbers are literally second to none as the active wildfire season lasts at least three more monthssaid Michael Norton of Canada’s Department of Natural Resources.

And weather forecasts for the coming weeks are calling for temperatures above seasonal norms in many parts of the country, both west and north of Quebec, the region currently hardest hit by the fires. With 9 million hectares already burned – eleven times the average of the last decade – the absolute annual record from 1989 has already been surpassed.

As of Friday, a total of 677 fires were active in the country (with 13 new fires discovered during the day) and 386 uncontrolled. About 155,000 people have had to evacuate their homes at some point since the beginning of May due to the fires, the highest number in 40 years. “It is no exaggeration to say that the 2023 fire season is, and will continue to be, record-breaking in many ways.He continued, specifying that an above-average number of fires can be expected throughout the summer.

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Especially since both sides of the country are burning at the same time, affecting areas not used to fires. In one of the forest fires in northern Quebec alone, more than a million hectares of land burned down. “Evacuations, poor air quality and extreme heat warnings – we discover the effects of climate change in all its realities‘ lamented Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.

This situation has forced authorities to call in international assistance on an unprecedented scale to help the 3,800 Canadian firefighters on the ground, who are being supported by the Canadian Armed Forces. “Indeed, the firefighting effort has become a global effortsaid Michael Norton. In fact, a total of more than 3000 international firefighters (New Zealand, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, South Korea…) are hard at work fighting these mega fires that could burn for months.