OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s authorities is sending the army to the Japanese province of Nova Scotia on Thursday to assist deal with wildfires, and extra U.S. firefighters will come to battle the early summer season blazes, the minister chargeable for emergencies mentioned.
Nova Scotia is battling two giant fires which can be threatening communities on the outskirts of Halifax, the provincial capital. On the identical time, the western province of Alberta has 61 wildfires, 16 of them uncontrolled, officers mentioned.
Whereas Canada usually sees wildfires in the summertime, hardly ever has it seen so many so early, with incidents on each the East Coast and within the West on the identical time. There are 211 wildfires burning throughout Canada, and 82 of these are uncontrolled, Emergency Preparedness Minister Invoice Blair mentioned.
“These circumstances this early within the season are unprecedented,” Blair advised reporters. “Attributable to local weather change, related excessive climate occasions might proceed to extend in each frequency and severity throughout our nation.”
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Some 28,000 Canadians have been compelled to flee their houses, officers mentioned. Some 18,000 of the evacuees are in Nova Scotia, which is forecast to stay sizzling and dry on Thursday. There are wildfires burning in seven of Canada’s 10 provinces.
The Canadian Armed Forces will present each tools and personnel to alleviate firefighters “who’ve been working tirelessly across the clock to guard communities proper throughout Nova Scotia,” Blair mentioned.
In Could, the federal authorities despatched the army to Alberta to assist battle blazes there.
Canada can be receiving assist from different nations. Some 800 firefighters have come from the US, largely to Alberta, with one other 100 scheduled to reach in Nova Scotia over the following 5 days, officers mentioned.
Australia and New Zealand have despatched some 224 firefighters, and South Africa is sending greater than 200 in coming days, officers mentioned.
(This story has been corrected to say ‘in Could,’ not ‘earlier this month,’ in paragraph 7)
(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Modifying by Sharon Singleton)
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