According to government data released on Saturday, the Canadian wildfires have already burned over 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) this year, setting a new record. This figure is expected to increase in the coming weeks. The previous highest recorded amount of burned land in a single year was in 1989, with 7.3 million hectares affected. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) provided these national figures.
Since January, a total of 4,088 fires have occurred, including many large fires that have devastated hundreds of thousands of hectares. These fires have also resulted in the displacement of over 150,000 individuals. Due to the large scale and number of fires, authorities have been unable to contain most of them and have allowed them to burn.
While the majority of fires have taken place in uninhabited forested areas, they still have significant environmental consequences. Yan Boulanger, a researcher at Canada’s natural resources ministry, expressed concern over this year’s alarming statistics, stating that the situation has been worse than anticipated. The fires have been relentless since May, with no respite.
Currently, there are 906 active fires in the country, with 570 categorized as out of control, affecting all provinces. The severity of the situation has shifted across the country over the past few months. Alberta experienced unprecedented blazes at the beginning of the wildfire season in May. Subsequently, Nova Scotia and Quebec were also heavily affected, with large fires producing smoke that reached parts of the United States. In recent weeks, British Columbia has faced a dramatic escalation of the crisis, with more than 250 fires ignited in just three days, primarily due to lightning strikes.
The widespread wildfires in Canada are exacerbated by severe drought conditions, characterized by below-average rainfall and warm temperatures that have persisted for months. Due to its geography, the country is warming at a faster rate than the global average, and scientists attribute the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including these wildfires, to climate change.
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