More than 29,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the last two days in various towns in the province of Alberta, in western Canada, as a result of the advance of several forest fires.
The high temperatures (for this time of year) and the lack of rain have led to the spread of the flames in various areas of this region known for its large coniferous forests, meadows, lakes and natural parks.
The Alberta fire monitoring center indicates (10:00 a.m. in Spain) that 88 fires remain active, some of which affect forests in the Rocky Mountains and spaces of such natural importance as Jasper National Park. Since January of this year, 408 forest fires have been declared in the province of Alberta.
The images recorded by various satellite teams, among which GOES18 stands out, show since last Friday the extent and severity of the fires, as well as the large clouds of smoke that extend to the west of the country.
The Prime Minister of Alberta, Danielle Smith, activated the "state of emergency" for the entire province on May 5 and reinforced the functions of the fire monitoring team and care for those affected. The emergency teams focus in almost all cases on the protection of people, buildings and infrastructure, since action in the large affected forest masses is extremely difficult.
The accumulation of fires has caused, on the other hand, a notable political controversy both at the provincial level (between the Conservative government and the opposition) and at the state level, in the middle of the electoral period, with reproaches and accusations between the governments of Danielle Smith (United Conservative Party ) and the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau (Liberal Party), for the lack of action and support.
Despite several active fires in the area, provincial authorities on Monday canceled the evacuation of the city of Edson, as well as the central and eastern parts of Yellowhead County. Big Lakes County's evacuation order has been relaxed although much of the affected area is currently without electric power or natural gas service.
Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for the following areas: Portions of Brazeau County, including the City of Drayton Valley; the entire town of Rainbow Lake; Fox Creek, Little Smoky and their environs; parts of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and the Greenview Municipal District; as well as various parts of Grande Prairie, Big Lakes, Lac Ste., Yellowhead, Parkland counties, and the village of Entwistle. The authorities also maintain a list of towns on alert for possible emergency evacuations.
