Canada fires drive thousands more out of their homes

MONTREAL, Canada — Thousands of people fled their homes in western Canada over the weekend as strong winds fanned forest fires that have ravaged British Columbia province for more than a week.

The inferno’s progress prompted authorities to take new emergency measures, ordering the evacuation of 24,000 people in the region including the town of Williams Lake which is home to some 11,000 people, reported public broadcaster CBC.

Some 60 percent of affected residents have already left their homes.

Authorities estimate that around 17,000 people had already evacuated before the latest orders as wild fires sparked by hot dry weather prompted a state of emergency to be declared on July 7.

Navi Saini, a spokeswoman for the province, said there were currently 161 wildfires active as of Sunday.

Further to the south, fire crews equipped with planes and helicopters in the US state of California were making steady progress against 11 active blazes fueled by searing temperatures and high winds.

“Great news! All evacuation warnings for the #AlamoFire have been lifted. There is fire equipment still in the area working – use caution,” the official account for Cal Fire tweeted.

The Whittier fire, which began on July 8 and stretched across 18,015 acres and has burned down almost 2,000 structures was 36 percent contained, according to the agency. CBB

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Thousands evacuated due to Alberta, Canada wildfire — official

MONTREAL, Canada — Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate a city in the Canadian oil sands region due to a major wildfire approaching Fort McMurray’s north end, officials said Tuesday.

The fire was “growing rapidly” toward the city in Alberta province. Mandatory evacuations were now in effect for seven neighborhoods in the city of 100,000, according to an alert issued around 3:30 pm (2130 GMT) by Alberta emergency authorities.

Shortly afterwards, the situation worsened.

“A number of evacs under way, and likely more to come. Be calm. Be prepared. Be ready to move politely in traffic to a safe destination,” Mayor Melissa Blake tweeted.

Long lines of cars headed north via the main highway of the city after police closed the southward lanes.

Authorities urged residents to head toward evacuation centers some 20 kilometers (12 miles) away.

The fire, which was contained until Monday south of Fort McMurray, was pushed toward the city by winds and quickly reached homes, helped by a drought in Alberta. The province saw record temperatures of nearly 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.

On Monday, an alert was issued and some 500 people were evacuated as a precaution due to smoke from the wildfire.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net