<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/22/canada-wildfires-evacuation-british-columbia>
"Wildfires have forced hundreds from their homes in Canada’s westernmost
province and officials warn weeks more of scorching temperatures will add
pressure to fire crews already in the parched region.
The British Columbia wildfire service said crews were battling more than 300
blazes, with more than half of the fires are classified as out of control.
Thousands of residents are under evacuation alert, readying to leave their
homes at a moment’s notice.
“Fire suppression efforts continue to be challenged due to hot, dry conditions
and localized winds,” the wildfire service said in an update. “A three-week
heatwave continues, and more hot and dry conditions are expected to continue
for most of the province.”
Over the weekend, 14 communities in the province eclipsed or matched daily
high-temperature records. Lytton, a community which was completely incinerated
by a 2021 wildfire, shattered a 78-year-old record for its 20 July temperatures
when it hit 41.2C (106F).
The province’s wildfire service said nearly 1,000 provincial firefighters were
on the ground, aided by crews from Nova Scotia and Ontario as well as New
Zealand and Australia.
Hot, dry conditions mean those crews are trapped in a Whac-A-Mole situation,
scrambling to prioritize attacks on new blazes while tending to existing fires
close to towns and cities. A spate of lightning strikes have also further
complicated efforts. Officials believe there have been close to 1,300 strikes
in the province since last week and lightning is believe to be the culprit in
nearly 90% of the current fires.
Still, the vagaries of daily weather mean the province is faring better than it
did last year, when it endured its worst-ever wildfire season, with 1.45m
hectares (3.6m acres) burned."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
