Canada evacuates 9000 people due to forest fires
A forest fire in Canada is spreading approximately 50 meters per minute. The fire and smoke development are so intense that the fire department cannot use firefighting planes and therefore evacuated 9,000 people.
Due to an out-of-control forest fire in northeastern Canada, authorities have ordered the evacuation of around 9,000 people. Residents of Labrador City and Wabush in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador were urged to leave their homes since Friday evening due to "the extreme behavior of the fire."
Long lines of cars were seen at gas stations in online images, while massive smoke clouds darkened the sky. "When I saw the smoke, it was a shock," Stacy Hunt from Labrador City told the public broadcaster CBC. "We have only one place to go. We have few options," he added.
In the remote region north of the province of Quebec, people truly have no choice. There is only one road, over which people have to travel over 500 kilometers eastward to ensure their safety.
"We are observing extreme fire behavior. It advances about 50 meters per minute," explained fire department spokesperson Jeff Motty. Due to the intensity of the fire, the use of firefighting planes is impossible.
230,000 people evacuated due to forest fires in 2024
Mayor Belinda Adams of Labrador City urged the remaining residents to leave the city in a video posted online on Saturday morning. The last buses were scheduled to leave the city at noon.
The federal authorities had announced on Friday that the extent of the forest fires had been limited due to favorable weather conditions since the beginning of the summer. However, the country is now heading towards the main forest fire season. According to official figures, 1.5 million hectares of forest have burned down so far this year.
In the previous year, Canada experienced its worst forest fire season. Over 15 million hectares of land, slightly less than the total area of Germany, burned down, and eight firefighters lost their lives. A total of 230,000 people were evacuated.
The international community is expressing concern about the ongoing forest fires in Canada, affecting numerous regions. Due to the extreme fire behavior, it's been challenging to deploy firefighting planes from other countries to assist in extinguishing the forest fires in Canada.
