Canada Struggles with Fuming Wildfires due to Climate Change, causing Hundreds of Evacuations

More than 100 wildfires are burning across Canada, forcing people to leave their homes and endangering entire communities. The situation is particularly severe in Manitoba and British Columbia. 

The eastern region of Manitoba has dealt with the immense forest fire that had burned more than 86,000 acres by Monday evening. The fire is located near Cranberry Portage and has displaced more than 500 residents. 

In my 40 years of wildfire experience, I’ve never seen a fire move this aggressively, as I saw at a press conference while talking to Earl Simmons, Manitoba Wildfire Service Director. 

At the same time, in western Canada, British Columbia is struggling with the rapidly spreading Parker Lake Fire. The fire tripled over the weekend and soon reached 13,000 acres, threatening the small community of Fort Nelson. The winds of the upcoming days are predicted to be strong. Hence, the fire could consume a town less than 5 miles away. 

“Two days later will be the most important,” said Bowinn Ma, BC’s emergency management minister. The fire may become very unstable later on today. 

Around 4,700 people, including the Fort Nelson town and the Fort Nelson First Nation, have been ordered to evacuate. They have also broadcast evacuation alerts for those living in the adjacent regions. 

The situation is made even worse by the impact on the most essential services. Wildfires have prevented the Canadian National Railway Company from operating in some regions. 

“Fire activities have caused CN to stop services between Fort St.  John and Fort Nelson in British Columbia as well as the areas north of High Level, Alberta, said Ashley Michnowski, a spokesperson for CN. “We are working with affected customers and the crews who assess the damage and determine what repairs are needed. 

The wildfires result from a combination of factors such as arid conditions and the winds blowing up to 25 mph.  Nevertheless, the basis of this crisis is the long-term effects of human-induced climate change. 

“This region has been going through a couple of years of drought that was noticeable last winter when the snowfall was below the average,” said Ben Boghean, a fire behavior specialist of the BC Wildfire Service. Thus, our forests are probably affected by the new fire ignitions and quick spreading.

The decreasing snowpack demonstrates climate change, the increase in temperatures, and the deterioration of droughts, which, consequently, is the cause for the rise of wildfires in Canada, as Environment Canada has foreseen. 

The past year, British Columbia experienced the most severe fire season in Canada’s history, which caused the loss of hundreds of houses and an area the size of Maryland on fire. The situation is just as alarming as it is since more than 100 fires are running rampant nationwide, 39 of which are classified as out of control. 

Some wildfires are remnants of last season’s fires or the “zombie fires.” These underground fires burn at the bottom of the ground all winter; when they get hot in spring, they start to burn again. 

Usually, the winter conditions are the reason for the fires that were left behind, but this year, the drought and the higher temperatures caused many of these fires not to be put out as usual. 

 Two such deadly fires, the Patry Creek Fire and the Nogah Creek Wildfire, will soon be more significant and closer to Fort Nelson. Hence, the people were ordered to evacuate. 

Wildfire smoke has caused air quality advisories across a vast area of Canada, from British Columbia to Saskatchewan. The hazardous smoke has also spread to the northern United States for the first time this year; thus, air quality alerts were issued in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. 

The situation will continue until Monday, and the air quality in parts of Canada closer to the fires will probably remain bad. Doctors and health officials tell us that people with respiratory and heart diseases, older adults, pregnant women, and outdoor workers are more at risk of the effects of wildfire smoke. Canadians are told to wear masks outside to reduce exposure to hazardous smoke particles.