More than 9,000 people have been evacuated in northeastern Canada due to a wildfire that is “out of control” and being fueled by strong winds, authorities reported on Saturday.
Residents in Labrador City and Wabush in Newfoundland and Labrador province have been ordered to leave their homes, according to provincial fire spokesman Jeff Motty.
“We are seeing extreme fire behavior, it is moving about 50 meters per minute,” the officer explained, adding that the intensity of the flames made it impossible to use water bombers.
Images posted on social media showed lines of cars waiting to fill up with petrol at stations, and the sky obscured by huge clouds of smoke.
“It was a shock to see that much smoke. And it’s been like that, in the same place, for hours,” Labrador City resident Stacy Hunt told CBC.
“We don’t have many options, the only place you can go is to Happy Valley Goose Bay,” he added.
Dry and hot conditions
On Saturday morning, Labrador City Mayor Belinda Adams urged residents to evacuate. “The fire is still active,” she warned in a video on social media.
Federal officials said Friday that the weather was favorable enough to limit fires since the start of summer, but the country is now entering the peak of the fire season.
Last year, Canada experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with 15 million hectares burned and more than 200,000 evacuated.
Drier and hotter conditions in several regions of the country, caused by climate change, have increased the risk of larger fires, according to experts.
There are currently 575 active fires, of which more than 400 are considered out of control.
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2024-07-16 13:25:48