Thousands Ordered to Evacuate As Wildfires Rage Across Western Canada

Authorities in British Columbia warned of poor air quality as major wildfires spread across more than 24,000 acres across Western Canada.

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Thousands of residents in Western Canada have been ordered to evacuate over the weekend as major wildfires spread across more than 24,000 acres (nearly 10,000 hectares), worsening air quality in the region.

The fires spread across British Columbia, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for thousands of residents in Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nations, and neighbouring Alberta, with residents of Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates, Gregoire Lake Estates, and Rickards Landing Industrial Park told to prepare to evacuate.

Alberta authorities recorded a total of 44 active wildfires as of 9 pm Sunday, including two “out of control” fires in the Edson and Fort McMurray forest areas. The latter more than tripled in size between Saturday and Sunday. Rapidly spreading smoke from the fires prompted authorities to issue several air quality statements, warning residents of poor air quality and reduced visibility expected to continue through Tuesday.

Speaking at a conference last month, Canadian minister for emergency preparedness Harjit Sajjan warned of potentially longer and “more explosive” wildfire season. “The temperature trends are very concerning. With the heat and dryness across the country, we can expect that the wildfire season will start sooner and end later and potentially be more explosive,” Sajjan said.

In a statement released last week, the federal government said warm and dry conditions in most of the country, partly fuelled by the El Niño weather pattern, could “exacerbate the risk and intensity of both natural and human-caused wildfires.”

“As we can expect with climate change, most parts of Canada have experienced warmer and drier spring conditions so far, with the added influence this year of El Niño. Drought conditions are expected to persist in high-risk regions in May, including the southern regions of the prairie and western provinces.”

Last year, Canada endured its most devastating fire season on record, with nearly 6,600 blazes burning across 45 million acres – 5% of the entire forest area of Canada and roughly seven times the annual average – and affecting 230,000 people. The wildfires emitted almost 480 megatonnes of carbon, almost five-times the average for the past 20 years, with toxic smoke reaching as far as the US East Coast. Fire-related emissions in Canada last year accounted for 23% of the total global wildfire carbon emissions.

In response to last year’s devastation, the government said it is providing additional support to provinces and territories to better monitor, mitigate, and respond to wildfires. The Department of Natural Resources last week announced up to CAD$1.2 million for the Canadian Interagency Forest Centre to expand the Centre’s wildfire prevention and mitigation capacity.

Featured image: EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid/Flickr (2023)