Zoom Image
Wildfires in Nova Scotia
Photo: HANDOUT / AFP
Firefighters in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia continue to fight desperately against several out-of-control wildfires. Nova Scotia is facing a crisis and needs "all the help we can get," said provincial government chief Tim Houston on Wednesday. The fires were "unprecedented".
On Wednesday, 14 forest fires raged in the eastern Canadian province, one of them near the city of Halifax. More than 200 homes and other structures have already been damaged or destroyed, and more than 16,000 people have had to leave their homes.
Firefighting planes relocated to Nova Scotia
Twelve firefighting planes were transferred from neighboring provinces to Nova Scotia, and Coast Guard officials strengthened the firefighting crews and helped with evacuations. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the situation as "heartbreaking" and promised unlimited aid.
One couple told CBC that they had lost both their home and the childcare facility they ran as a result of the fires: "That was my life," Terri Kottwitz said through tears.
Smoke from the wildfires moved down the Atlantic coast to the south, causing warnings about air quality in the US states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Canada's west has also been fighting wildfires for weeks. According to the authorities, more than one million hectares of land have burned in the province of Alberta this year in more than 546 fires. In more than half of the cases, the fires were caused by humans, according to the authorities, and 59 fires were caused by lightning strikes.
Canada has been repeatedly hit by extreme weather events for several years, which, according to experts, are increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change.
wit/AFP/dpa