Canada declares bushfire emergency, orders residents to evacuate

VICTORIA, KOMPAS.com – The province of British Columbia in western Canada declared a state of emergency on Tuesday (7/20/2021), as wildfires are expected to escalate in the coming days due to severe heat waves and strong winds.

About 5,700 people in the province were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday (7/20/2021).

That number is more than double the count from the day before, as the endangered area expands.

Read also: 290,000 hectares of forest fires in Oregon in the United States, 2,000 residents fleeing

About 32,000 more people are on alert.

“Please prepare an evacuation plan for your family,” said Cliff Chapman, director of operations for the BC Fire Department. VOA Indonesia Wednesday (7/21/2021).

The fires ravaged western Canada and the west coast of the United States (United States) for several weeks after a scorching heat wave in late June that experts say is linked to climate change.

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Chapman said an area of ​​about 3,000 square kilometers had burned in British Columbia by 2021, more than three times the average area normally burned at that time.

In the province, there are now nearly 300 active forest fire areas, fueled by hot, dry weather that is expected to continue for the next few days, as well as strong winds that could help the fires spread.

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In the United States, more than 80 major fires have occurred, with the largest blaze occurring in the state of Oregon.

A huge fire dubbed the Bootleg Fire burned nearly 390,000 hectares. The burned area was larger than Los Angeles.

Also read: Canadian heatwave starts 170 fires

“Putting out this fire is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Rob Allen, Fire Commander of the Bootleg Fire Zone, said Tuesday.

“We’re here as long as it takes to contain this (fire) monster safely.” The smoke reached the eastern United States and Canada, which were partially shrouded in gray smog on Tuesday (7/20/2021).

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