Faced with unprecedented fires, Eastern Canada evacuates thousands of inhabitants

After Western Canada and Alberta, it is now the turn of Eastern Canada and Nova Scotia to be affected by very large fires. The government of this maritime Canadian province declared Sunday, May 28, a state of emergency in the main city of the region, Halifax, several suburbs of which are in flames. About 16,400 people have had to flee their homes, authorities said Monday (May 29th), and others are on alert.

The fires in Nova Scotia were so impressive that heavy smoke roamed much of Halifax's skies on May 28, 2023. © Meenakshi Guchhait / via Reuters

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The hot, dry weather is currently giving cold sweats to firefighters battling the fire about half an hour's drive from the eastern Canadian city of Halifax. Dried up, vegetation often turns into fuel that feeds the fire, reports our correspondent in Quebec City, Pascale Guéricolas.

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It's very easy for the fire to jump from place to place, says one of the leaders of the rescue teams, David Steeve. In this case, he leaves behind unburned wood. At this point, there is therefore a risk that the fire will resume, which makes the situation on the ground dangerous for the people fighting the fires.

Several evacuees in recent days have filmed terrifying scenes where flames lick the roadsides near cars. The meeting of cold air at altitude and warm air emanating from the burning forests creates a wall that brings the smoke to the ground. As a result, firefighters have no visibility to fight fires.

Already, 10,000 hectares have burned, and although the winds that fanned the flames changed direction on Monday, pushing the wildfire back in the direction it came from, that's not enough to rule out the danger, authorities said.

Only rain could allow them to control the fire, they said, but no precipitation is expected until Saturday, according to the weather forecast. On Monday, wildfires were burning in eight of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories.

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