Nearly 200 active wildfires reported in western Canada

Ottawa, Jul 6 (Prensa Latina) Nearly 200 forest fires continue active in western Canada, while hundreds of firefighters are trying to put them out after temperatures in the region reached record levels last week.

July 6, 2021
07:18

196 wildfires are currently sparking over the B.C. and two thirds of them are out of control, local authorities told CBC.

Bill Blair, minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, tweeted that the Canadian Armed Forces are providing air support to affected areas.

Since last week the wildfire has ravaged practically the entire community of Lytton, east of Vancouver, and caused the death of two people, but although the heat triggered its spread, forest rangers estimated that the incident was caused by humans, The Globe and Mail journal reported.

So far this year more than 630 wildfires have burned 83,000 hectares in B.C., a number three times higher than the entire area ravaged in previous 10 years.

Current heatwave affecting the western part of Canada has killed nearly 500 people.

Experts believe these phenomena may increase in the Pacific Northwest, a region usually known for its cool, rainy climate, with some hot and sunny days, where many people do not have air conditioning.

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