Canada is in the grip of a devastating wildfire. The fire is rapidly consuming vast areas in the central and western regions of the country. The fire is also spreading to the north and east. In this situation, a state of emergency has been declared in the province of Manitoba. Residents in various regions have been ordered to quickly evacuate to safer places. In addition, oil and gas extraction has also been suspended from some areas of Alberta.
Reuters reported this information in a report on Thursday (May 29).
According to a report by the British news agency, the province of Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as wildfires spread across central and western Canada. At the same time, about 17,000 people in the northern and eastern regions were ordered to quickly evacuate to safer places, including residents of the city of Flin Flon.
Manitoba Premier Wob Kinnew told a news conference that this was the largest evacuation in the province’s recent history. Displaced people will be housed in soccer fields and community centres in Winnipeg and other cities. Members of the defence force are also taking part in the rescue effort.
Premier Kinyu also said that dealing with this disaster will require cooperation from all levels of government and a huge amount of resources.
Meanwhile, oil and gas production in parts of Alberta has been halted due to the fires, and residents of a small town have been told to evacuate. Oil drilling company Synovus Energy said some of its workers in the Foster Creek area in northern Alberta have been evacuated.
A blaze has already spread across about 2,900 hectares in the Chipewyan Lake area of northern Alberta, near the oil-rich Fort McMurray, and oil companies there are on high alert.
The Alberta government said that while there is currently no immediate threat to the Chipewyan Lake area, a change in wind direction could be fatal, and residents in the area have been asked to evacuate to a safe location within an hour.
Another major wildfire north of the town of Swan Hills is burning about 1,600 hectares. About 1,200 residents of the town were told to evacuate on Monday night. Oil and gas company Aspenleaf Energy in the area has temporarily shut down production of 4,000 barrels per day for safety reasons.