Wildfire forces evacuation of over 3,000 Canadians in British Columbia
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The fire was reportedly ignited by a tree falling onto power lines because of strong winds.
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Flames from the Donnie Creek wildfire burn along a ridge top north of Fort St. John, British Columbia, Sunday, July 2, 2023. (AP)
Over 3,000 individuals residing in Fort Nelson, located in the western Canadian province of British Columbia, were forced to evacuate their residences due to a wildfire, CTV News reported on Sunday.
Rob Fraser, mayor of Canada's Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, said as quoted by CTV News that the wildfire was sparked by a tree falling onto power lines during strong winds.
Fire hotspots have been detected several miles from Fort Nelson, and strong winds are impeding the efforts of firefighters, as per Canada's CBC News.
It is worth noting that Canadian Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan stated on Thursday that over 85 wildfires had been reported across Canada, with the majority occurring in the western regions of the country.
A recent update from Environment Canada this week forecasted challenging weather conditions that may result in another challenging wildfire season ahead.
Internationally, the previous year ranked as the warmest on record, primarily attributed to human-induced warming, with additional contributions from a natural weather phenomenon known as El Niño.
30 million acres of land destroyed
Massive wildfires in Canada emitted twice as much smoke as the previous record in 2023, according to the EU's climate monitor.
Approximately 30 million acres (12 million hectares) of land were destroyed by the destructive wildfires last year, an area greater than Cuba or South Korea.
More than 100 million people were impacted by the enormous plumes of smoke that obstructed the air in Canada and the neighboring United States -- sometimes causing flights to be delayed -- and required the cancellation of outdoor events.
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