Canada's forests on fire. Wildfires still burning
Residents of Yellowknife in Canada returned home after weeks of evacuation. They were greeted by thick smoke and red skies.
Canada has been fighting with wildfires since March 2023, and with increasing intensity since June. The fires have affected all 13 provinces and territories. Forested areas in Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec were most affected. More than 16.5 million hectares of forest have already burned (this equals at least half the area of Poland – ed.).
Yellowknife residents evacuated in August
On 16 August, 20,000 people living in and around Yellowknife - the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories - were ordered to evacuate. According to npr.com, the fire, identified by authorities as Behchoko/Yellowknife, got out of control less than 16 km from the city. On Wednesday the residents were told that they had to leave their homes by noon on Friday, with no assurance that they would have a home to return to.
The worst was luckily avoided and Yellowknife did not burn down. On 6 September, the evacuation order was changed to the state of high emergency, which meant that people could finally start returning home. A welcome outdoor gathering at Somba K'e Park was planned by the city authorities for 23 September. Unfortunately, it did not take place.
Apocalyptic scenery in northern Canada
On 23 September, people woke up to surreal scenery. As local radio station cabinradio.com reported, flecks of ash floated over the dark, apocalyptic-looking streets. By 10am, the smoke-sodden sky was a deep orange colour. The authors of the photos, which appeared on social media, stressed that the cameras on their smartphones were trying to illuminate what they saw with their own eyes, so the pictures do not fully capture the eerie landscape.
Yellowknife has been smoke-free since Monday 25 September. This was only the second day that bad air quality has not reached dangerous levels since the evacuation of the city was completed. However, the smoke could return at any time, fuelled by the still ongoing fires in northern Alberta and east of Fort Resolution.
The weather has been unusually warm and dry this year. This increases the risk of fires as plants are more flammable in such conditions. Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair said: "Due to climate change, similar extreme weather events may continue to increase in both frequency and severity across our country."
