Thousands flee as wildfires tear through western Canada with emergency declared

08 May 2023 , 12:04

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Thousands flee as wildfires tear through western Canada with emergency declared

Fire crews tackled wildfires threatening communities in western Canada as cooler temperatures and a bit of rain brought some relief, but officials warned the reprieve only came in some areas.

Officials in Alberta said there were 108 active fires in the province and the number of evacuees grew to about 29,000, up from approximately 24,000 on Saturday, when a provincewide state of emergency was declared.

Two out-of-control wildfires in neighbouring British Columbia also caused some people to leave their homes, and officials warned that they expected high winds to cause the blazes to grow bigger in the next few days.

Provincial officials in Alberta said the weather forecast was favourable for the next few days, with small amounts of rain and overcast conditions.

Some people had to leave their homes due to the blazes (AP)

But they cautioned that hot and dry conditions were predicted to return within a few days.

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"People have called this season certainly unprecedented in recent memory because we have so many fires so spread out," Christie Tucker, of Alberta Wildfire, said at a briefing.

"It's been an unusual year."

Evacuation center in Edmonton, Alberta on Sunday (AP)

Colin Blair, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said accurate damage reports were not yet available because conditions made it difficult to assess the situation.

There were reports of buildings destroyed in the town of Fox Lake, including 20 homes, a police station and a shop.

In north-eastern British Columbia, officials urged residents to evacuate the areas around two out-of-control wildfires near the Alberta border, saying there were reports of some people staying behind.

Small whisp of smoke is seen in the distance by a police roadblock outside the town of Drayton Valley, Alberta (AFP via Getty Images)

"This is impeding the response and putting their lives and the lives of firefighters at risk," said Leonard Hiebert, chairman of the Peace River Regional District.

A third fire in British Columbia was burning out of control 700 kilometres (430 miles) to the south, in the Teare Creek region, and some residents near the village of McBride were evacuated.

Ryan Fahey