Canada: 17,000 people evacuated to escape forest fires in the central part of the country

With global warming, Canada is increasingly affected by extreme weather events, including large-scale wildfires. In 2023, the country experienced its worst fire season in recorded history . "This is the largest evacuation operation in Manitoba in recent memory," Premier Wab Kinew announced at a press conference, declaring a state of emergency across the region. Military aircraft were expected to deploy resources "imminently" to help evacuate residents in the most remote areas.

The evacuations include the city of Flin Flon, where 5,000 residents have been ordered to prepare to flee at a moment's notice as flames approach the mining town. Sheryl Matheson had to leave the flame-encircled town of Sherridon, northeast of Flin Flon. "It's overwhelming," said the fishing lodge owner. "There was a lot of smoke. You could see the fires four or five kilometers away, and they were moving quickly." "The flames were over 30 meters high, and firefighters couldn't get close enough to do anything," she said.

Elsaida Alerta, who was also evacuated from Sherridon, told CBC that she was "extremely anxious." "We gathered all our essential belongings, our important documents, our medications, the things our animals will need," she said. Residents of several other remote towns and Indigenous communities have also been ordered to evacuate. Most of them are expected to be transferred to Winnipeg, Manitoba's capital.

Canada currently has 134 active fires burning in several provinces, including Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. "For the first time, this isn't just one fire in one region. We have fires in every region. This is evidence of climate change, to which we're going to have to adapt," said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. Twenty-two forest fires are active in his province.

Nearly 200,000 hectares of forest were affected in the past month, triple the annual average for the region. "Manitoba has had the highest fire activity in Canada so far this year," said Kirstin Hayward of the province's fire service. According to Canadian authorities, the forest fire season could be "above normal" in central and western Canada in June and July, and "well above average" in August, in part due to the severe or extreme drought that continues to affect many areas.