/ picture alliance, dpa, AP, Noah Berger
Montreal The number of forest fires in Canada continues to rise: according to official figures, more than 670 fires broke out in the North American country last Friday. Authorities said more than 380 of them were out of control.
In addition, the wildfire season will last at least another three months, explained Michael Norton of Natural Resources Canada (NRC). Weather forecasts call for above-average temperatures in many parts of Canada over the next few weeks.
Western and especially northern Quebec are affected. Nine million hectares have already gone up in smoke, eleven times the average of the last decade. The absolute annual record of 1989 has already been exceeded.
From evacuations to poor air quality to extreme heat warnings, we are living the reality of the effects of climate change,” said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
Around 155,000 people have had to leave their homes because of the fires since early May, the highest number of evacuations in 40 years. © afp/aerzteblatt.de
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