Several Canadian provinces and neighboring US states have sent reinforcements to fight fires that may rage at the end of the week as temperatures rise again.
New reinforcements arrived in Alberta in western Canada on Wednesday, to fight unprecedented fires, although their number decreased due to low temperatures.
And 76 fires are burning in the forests and forests of the province, after the number of fires reached 110 a few days ago, and 24 fires are still out of control.
Several Canadian provinces and neighboring US states (Oregon and Alaska) have sent reinforcements to fight fires that may rage at the end of the week as temperatures rise again, according to the authorities.
“The challenge is not to burn out,” relief services spokeswoman Christie Tucker told a news conference Wednesday.
“We are very pleased to receive new resources from our colleagues in Canada and the United States. I think this will give a much needed boost to firefighters, some of whom have been working 24 hours a day for a long time,” she added.
In addition, the total number of people subject to evacuation orders decreased from 29,000 to 24,000.
Parkland County Mayor Alan Gamble said it was a relief that people in his area were able to return several days after evacuating the entire city.
“All residents have been allowed to return and the road has reopened,” he told AFP, expressing his “concern” about the coming weeks and months.
His city managed to avoid the worst even if some houses and a business were burned.
In the vicinity of the city, smoke continues to be emitted from fields and forests. The correspondent of Agence France-Presse indicated that the ash is spreading everywhere.
In the north of the county, some Aboriginal villages were badly affected, such as the Cree community of Little Red River.
“The losses are huge. More than 150 homes and a number of other infrastructures have been destroyed or demolished, including a center for the elderly,” said Federal Indigenous Services Minister Patti Hajdu, speaking of the evacuation of more than 4,000 people.
The Canadian province of Alberta, one of the largest oil producers in the world, witnessed a hot and dry spring that contributed to the outbreak of fires.
For years, western Canada has been witnessing frequent extreme weather events that have increased in intensity and frequency due to a warming climate.