Trudeau sends military to tackle BC wildfires
Canada is sending armed forces to tackle fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as the western province deals with flames that have put more than 35,000 people under evacuation order. The province imposed an emergency late on Friday, giving officials more power to deal with fire risks. By Saturday, more than 35,000 residents were under an evacuation order and another 30,000 were under an evacuation alert. The McDougall Creek fire is centered around Kelowna, a city some 300 kilometres east of Vancouver with a population of about 150,000. But other blazes, exacerbated by severe drought, have been reported closer to the US border and in the US Pacific Northwest, where separate wildfires had killed at least one person and destroyed dozens of structures. Canadian ministers and other government officials urged residents living in evacuation order zones to take immediate action in the interest of their own lives and that of the firefighters. British Columbia Premier David Eby also imposed a ban on nonessential travel on Saturday in order to free up accommodation for evacuees and firefighters. Authorities urged people to avoid traveling to fire zones and avoid operating drones to take pictures, which they said would hamper the work of firefighters. Officials have not yet given any estimates of the total number of buildings destroyed. Trudeau said in a social media post that the federal government has agreed to send in assistance following a request from the BC government. Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada but the spread of blazes and disruptions underscore the severity of its worst wildfire season yet. The fires have drained local resources and drawn in federal government assistance as well as support from 13 countries. At least four firefighters have died in the line of duty. About 140,000 square km of land, roughly the size of New York state, have already been scorched nationwide, with smoky haze extending as far as the US East Coast. Government officials project that the fire season could stretch into autumn due to widespread drought-like conditions. (Reuters)