The Western Canadian province of Alberta declared a state of emergency on Saturday as wildfires flared across the area, forcing 25,000 people to flee their homes.
In an event that has been described as an “unprecedented crisis” by a top Canadian official, thousands of people have been urged to leave the region at a moment’s notice. The total number of wildfires has gone up to 110 owing to strong winds.
One-third of these blazes have been listed out-of-control.
“We’ve declared a provincial state of emergency to protect the safety, health and welfare of Albertans,” the province’s Premier Danielle Smith told a news conference after a meeting of her government’s emergency management committee.
A hot and dry spring coupled with kindling gave rise to the deadly wildfires in Alberta, she said. It is important to note that the province is also one of the world’s largest oil-producing regions.
“These conditions have resulted in the unprecedented situation our province is facing today,” she said.
Today, we declared a state of public emergency in Alberta.
The number of wildfires and evacuations has increased again and we must prioritize the safety of Albertans. We are putting all our resources toward fighting these fires, and we are grateful for the support of our…
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) May 6, 2023
According to Smith, more than 20 communities have been evacuated and at least 122,000 hectares (301,000 acres) have burned so far.
By declaring a state of emergency in the region, the government of Alberta will have “greater powers to respond to extreme situations,” she added.
Almost all of Alberta — which is in the midst of an election — and much of neighboring Saskatchewan province as well as a large swath of the Northwest Territories face extreme fire risks, according to a federal government fire danger map.
Nearby towns and provinces have extended help to Alberta. Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair tweeted that Ottawa stood ready to provide federal assistance if needed.
The situation is being closely monitored by Oil sands facilities, although none of them have reported disruptions in production.
Some of the more grotesque, eerily-coloured smoke plumes I’ve ever seen tonight over central Alberta wildfires #ABfire #ABstorm pic.twitter.com/npHSvSkXIe
— Kyle Brittain (@KyleBrittainWX) May 6, 2023
Drayton Valley with 7,000 residents — about 140 kilometers (85 miles) west of Edmonton — was among the communities evacuated as firefighters battled an out-of-control blaze.
Some 550 kilometers north of the provincial capital, a severe fire consumed 20 homes, a general store and a police station in the community of Fox Lake.
Boats and helicopters were deployed to evacuate citizens.
In recent years, western Canada has been hit repeatedly by extreme weather, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.
With inputs from agencies
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from 'Unprecedented crisis': Out-of-control wildfires in Western Canada force 25,000 to flee homes
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