The extreme heat in western Canada has subsided, but persistent drought and persistently high temperatures are fueling dozens of forest fires.

In the province of British Columbia alone 136 fires were recorded, as Cliff Chapman of the Wildfire Service announced on Friday (local time).

There were 12,000 lightning strikes in one day.

Most of the forest fires were triggered by it.

After the record heat of around 45 degrees Celsius, the temperatures have now fallen, but are still above average, said Chapman.

Canadian Defense Minister Harjitt Sajjan announced that it would move a reaction force of 350 soldiers as well as a transport plane and two Chinook helicopters to the region to support the fire department if necessary. The helicopters could transport firefighters, relocate heavy equipment or help evacuate towns, he wrote on Twitter. The government's crisis team had previously met in Ottawa. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office said the government will assist the province of British Columbia in bringing the situation under control and keeping people safe.

A few days ago the small town of Lytton was almost completely destroyed by a rapidly spreading fire.

A record temperature of 49.6 degrees Celsius had been measured there immediately beforehand.

More than 1000 people had to flee in a hurry on Thursday night.

The authorities assume that two people were killed there.

However, it was still too dangerous to send investigators to the location of the fire disaster, the forensic medicine announced on Friday.

Vegetation is already as dry as it usually was at the end of August

In the US state of California, hot and dry weather exacerbated the fire situation. Three larger fires burned in the north, causing thousands of people to flee at times. Many residents were able to return to their homes on Friday. Several buildings in the rural region were destroyed, reported the "San Francisco Chronicle". The vegetation has already dried out as it is usually seen until the end of August, said a forest agency spokeswoman for the Shasta Trinity National Forest.

In British Columbia, the dangerous heat wave contributed to hundreds of deaths, according to authorities. Within a week, 719 sudden and unexpected deaths were reported in the province, the forensic medicine said on Friday. That is three times more than usual. The authority assumes that the sharp rise is related to the extreme heat.