10,000 Quebec residents evacuated due to wildfires, huge area destroyed

ReutersNatuurbrand in Nova Scotia

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 03:29

About 10,000 residents of the Canadian province of Quebec were evacuated Friday because of the wildfires. Canada is experiencing an exceptionally intense wildfire season.

The Premier of Quebec is urging people to stay away from forests in the coming days. A state of emergency has been declared in the coastal city of Sept-Iles. Quebec authorities have asked the federal government for military assistance.

“This is a fearful time for many people in the country,” Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters on Friday. “We will continue to provide support in any way we can.”

Canadian soldiers have been in the west of the country since early May to help with the fight and troops were sent to Nova Scotia on Thursday. That eastern province is suffering from the worst wildfire season ever.

Devastated area huge

Yesterday it was announced that more than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are going to Canada to help fight the wildfires.

In total, about 30,000 people have had to leave their homes as a result of the wildfires, which are raging across Canada. There are now 214 fires in the country, 93 of which are not yet under control.

The size of the area that has burned is more than ten times the average for this time of year. More than 27,000 square kilometers has been destroyed, an area almost the size of Belgium.

Climate change

“Due to climate change, these kinds of consequences of extreme weather events can occur more often and strike more seriously in our country,” said Minister of Emergency Situations Blair earlier.

Natural Resources Minister Wilkinson also calls it “a simple fact” that Canada is facing the consequences of climate change.

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