In Canada, the fires are intensifying again in the west of the country

Western Canada is not done with the fires. The latter have intensified again, leading to the evacuation of several thousand people, while in the east, in Quebec, the authorities predict on Saturday a fight against the fire which will last ” all summer “.

After a few days of respite, the fires resumed in Alberta. An evacuation order was issued Friday evening in the town of Edson, which has a population of about 8,400, the second since early May.

“The fire is so out of control that some forestry teams have had to back down”described Luc Mercier, the administrative manager of the county of Yellowhead, the area of ​​Edson. “They can’t fight this fire”.

In northeastern British Columbia, the town of Tumbler Ridge, with a population of 2,400, was also largely evacuated, after a fire moved closer to a few miles from the town.

In Quebec, the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, said on Saturday morning that the situation in the center and north-west of the province remained difficult, with several municipalities still under threat. Northeast fires are considered to be “stable”. “It’s a first in the history of Quebec to fight so many fires, to evacuate so many people”did he declare. “We are going to have a fight that we think will last all summer”added the minister.

Nearly 14,000 people are still under evacuation orders in Quebec, according to the Minister of Public Security.

Across the country, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center lists 416 active fires, including 203 out of control. Canada is experiencing an unprecedented year with more than 4.6 million hectares burned since the beginning of the year, a total well above the average of recent decades.

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The World with AFP