With more than 480 firefighters on the ground, Quebec can manage around thirty fires, according to Quebec Premier François Legault. Usually, other provinces send fire crews when needed.
– When I talk to the premiers of other provinces, they say that their hands are full, Legault declared Monday. As of Friday afternoon, there were 324 active wildfires in Canada and by Monday morning, that number had increased to 413. That number continued to rise throughout the day.
Talk to multiple countries
At least 114 forest fires are out of control in Quebec, and more than 10,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. Nationwide, around 120,000 people have had to leave their homes in the past month. 26,000 people have still not been able to return home.
The province of Nova Scotia, also recently affected by forest fires, received rain and was thus able to send firefighting helicopters to Quebec.
In addition, 200 other fire teams are on the way from France and the United States, according to Legault. He adds that negotiations are underway with Costa Rica, Portugal and Chile, in the hope of providing more aid.
Dry and warm
From British Columbia in the west to Nova Scotia in the east, approximately 3.3 million hectares have so far been engulfed in flames. This is about a tenth of the area of mainland Norway, an area equivalent to that of Vestland County.
– Our models show that the entire summer can be a particularly severe wildfire season, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while the country’s Minister of Natural Resources goes a little further.
– If we continue on the same path as today, this could clearly be the worst wildfire season on record in Canada, says Jonathan Wilkinson.
Authorities stressed that last month’s dry and hot weather is expected to persist until August.
