Hundreds of wildfires in Canada – thousands of people fleeing the flames

Devastating wildfires are raging in Canada. More than 120,000 hectares have already burned down, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.

Alberta – Spring in Alberta, Canada, was hot and dry – "and with so much wood, a few sparks are enough to start really terrifying fires," Danielle Smith, head of the province's government, said in a press conference. The risk of fire exists in almost the entire province of Alberta and large parts of the neighboring provinces. In Europe, too, the hot and dry spring resulted in the first forest fires in Spain as early as March.

Fanned by strong winds, the number of wildfires in Alberta has already risen to over 100, with 122,000 hectares burned so far, according to Smith. As a result, more than 20 communities have already had to be evacuated. Around 25,000 people have already fled the forest fires. Thousands more people were called upon to prepare for an evacuation.

Forest fires in Canada: state of emergency and thousands of people fleeing the flames

As a result of the numerous wildfires, the province of Alberta in western Canada has declared a state of emergency, as Smith explained after an emergency meeting. "We have declared a state of emergency for the province to protect the safety, health and well-being" of residents. This gives the government more options to respond. This includes, for example, the mobilization of additional resources and the release of emergency funds. For these reasons, a state of emergency was also declared in Italy last year. In Canada, thousands of people are currently fleeing the flames.

What is a state of emergency?

A state of emergency is when the general situation deviates from the usual normality. This happens, for example, when the state or internal order are in danger, writes the Federal Agency for Civic Education. In these unusual situations, a state of emergency can be declared. This enables the state to temporarily suspend parts of the constitution and individual fundamental rights and thus act more quickly.

State of emergency in Canada – Thousands of people forced to flee wildfires in Alberta

Among the cities already evacuated are Drayton Vallay with 400 inhabitants and Edson with 8000 inhabitants. There, the residents were asked to immediately get to safety from the fires. Canadian Disaster Management Minister Bill Blair said on Twitter that the government in Ottawa was ready to provide federal aid if needed.

In Canada, around 25,000 people had to leave their homes due to hundreds of forest fires. (Symbolic image)

© Pierre Petit/dpa

The fires are also dangerous from an economic point of view, as the Canadian province of Alberta is one of the most important oil-producing regions in the world. This is one of the reasons why German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already been to Canada to talk about energy and climate. Since production had already been interrupted in 2016 due to forest fires, the fracking companies of the province of Alberta are monitoring the situation closely.

State of emergency in Alberta, Canada – forest fires and extreme weather have been occurring for years

For several years now, western Canada has been repeatedly hit by extreme weather events, which are intensifying in intensity and frequency due to climate change. Last year, for example, severe storms left hundreds of thousands of households in Canada without power.

Climate change is also bringing weather extremes to Europe, for example, France is already preparing for a fatal drought summer. (Kiba/AFP)

Category list image: © Pierre Petit/dpa