Canada wildfires force 17,000 to evacuate, with smoke blowing toward U.S.
Wildfires in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which shares a border with the United States, have prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency and order tens of thousands of people to leave their homes.
The evacuation of 17,000 residents is 'the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory,' Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said during a news conference Wednesday evening.
Winds blowing north to south will likely push wildfire smoke into Midwestern states on Thursday and Friday. Northern Minnesota is at the highest risk for poor air quality Thursday, before a more expansive smoke plume moves southward Friday — with Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit all potentially seeing a reduction in air quality and/or visibility in the afternoon and evening.
Fires in Manitoba have burned 491,000 acres (199,000 hectares) so far this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, a corporation owned by federal and local fire agencies. There are nearly 160 wildfires burning across Canada, the majority of which are 'out of control,' the CIFFC said.
Kinew said the military would be involved in the evacuations due to 'the sheer scale' of the orders, adding that most of the people affected will go to Winnipeg, the province's capital.
'This is a moment of fear and uncertainty. This is a moment of concern,' he continued. 'But I want to tell you that your fellow Manitobans will welcome you. We will get through this difficult period and we'll get through this trying period the way that we always do: by working together.'
The state of emergency will initially be in effect for 30 days.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X that he and Kinew 'are in close contact, and the federal government stands ready to assist Manitoba's provincial wildfire teams.'
Elsaida Alerta, a resident of Flin Flon, a Manitoba city under a mandatory evacuation order, told CBC Radio that residents could 'barely breathe' as they prepared to leave. 'The town is absolutely smoked out here. … We're just kind of in a panic here,' she said.
The Manitoba Wildfire Service said Wednesday that there have been 102 wildfires in the province so far this year, 'well above the average for this date of 78 total fires.'
According to CIFFC, there were 158 active fires across the country by early Thursday, with 83 blazes classified as out of control. The western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta accounted for at least 102 of the fires. At least 1.54 million acres (623,256 hectares) have burned so far this year. Last year, the total area burned was 13 million acres (5.3 million hectares).
In 2023, Canada experienced its worst wildfire season in modern history, with more than 42 million acres (17.3 million hectares) burned — more than double the previous record. The fires also brought record-breaking air pollution to the United States.
A study published last year found that the frequency and magnitude of extreme wildfires around the globe had doubled since 2003 due to climate change.
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