Out-of-control fires force Canadian province to seek help

Canada is fighting to control wildfires that have forced thousands to flee, razed towns, halted oil production and prompted the western province of Alberta to ask for federal help.

Some 30,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes in the past three days as nearly 100 fires broke out across the province, including 27 that got out of control.

Military and federal disaster officials were on standby after Alberta leader Danielle Smith spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to formally request assistance. Details of what support would be available were not immediately available.

“Some of these fires could go on for several months, so if we can use the resources that are already here, the people that can help, we want to be open to doing that,” Smith said at a news conference.

In Alberta, firefighters prioritized putting out blazes that were threatening homes and businesses. Many roads near the provincial capital, Edmonton, were blocked as temporary shelters received evacuees.

Officials said 390,000 hectares (964,000 acres) burned, hospital patients and long-term care residents had to relocate and many schools were closed.

More than 700 firefighters have been deployed and Alberta has requested another 1,000 from other provinces that are expected to arrive over the next week, officials said.

Oil companies announced temporary shutdowns, cutting production by more than 125,000 barrels of oil per day.

Canada is the world’s fourth largest crude producer, and about 80 percent of its oil comes from Alberta. The fires mainly affected light oil and natural gas producers, who shut down their operations as a precaution. So far no injuries or damage to the facilities have been reported.

Many residents and oil workers traveled to safety in RVs or campers in tow and set up in empty parking lots. Others stay with friends or family, like Jerry Greiner, a resident of Dayton Valley, west of Edmonton.

“We could see the smoke on Friday, and there was a pretty strong wind,” Greiner, 55, said, teary-eyed as she recalled being ordered to evacuate.

“We quickly grabbed our bags (and went) to our friends’ house. About 12 people stayed there,” he said, adding that it was the first time he had to flee from forest fires.

Dayton Valley, a town of 7,000 people, was abandoned. The trees and surrounding grassy fields were blackened from the fires, and smoke billowed from a few charred buildings, but most of the houses appeared intact.

‘Without precedents’

It was unclear when residents would be allowed to return.

Resident Randy Braun, 57, said the fire marshal told locals it would be “at least a week minimum.”

Kathy Bereuwski, 61, escaped with her family and dogs. “The sky was pitch black” with smoke and ash falling, she said.

In the northern community of Fox Lake, a fire destroyed 20 houses, a store and a police station. Residents had to be evacuated by boat and helicopter.

Alberta’s premier declared a state of emergency on Saturday, calling the wildfires “unprecedented.”

The province “has been experiencing a hot, dry spring and with so much firewood, all it takes is a few sparks to light some really scary bushfires,” Smith said.

Almost all of Alberta, as well as much of the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, parts of British Columbia, and much of the Northwest Territories face extreme fire risks.

Two out-of-control wildfires in far western British Columbia have also forced residents to evacuate, with authorities warning to expect high winds to spread those flames.

record high temperatures

In recent years, Western Canada has been repeatedly affected by extreme weather events, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to climate change.

Wildfires in Canada’s tar sands region in 2016 disrupted production and forced 100,000 residents out of Fort McMurray, hitting the nation’s economy.

Most recently, in 2021, British Columbia suffered from record summer temperatures, which killed more than 500 people, and wildfires that destroyed an entire city.

That was followed by devastating floods and landslides.

Christie Tucker, a spokeswoman for Alberta’s wildfire agency, said the rain brought “a continuation of yesterday’s lull in warm weather across most of the province with light, scattered showers.”

“It is a much-needed opportunity to advance some of these powerful and challenging wildfires,” he said. “But we’re not out of the woods yet.”