Due to drought and temperatures greater than normal, the country of 40 million inhabitants has experienced an early and extreme season with several active megafos.
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It is the equivalent of the area of Croatia. With nearly six million hectares burned for the moment, the forest fire season in Canada is one of the worst registered in the country, according to an update of the authorities on Friday, July 18.
Due to drought and temperatures greater than normal, the country of 40 million inhabitants has experienced an early and extreme season with several active megafos. And the latter devour the land at a rate rarely seen for 40 years. “This is one of the highest accumulated areas for this time of year, behind the fire record for 2023”said Michael Norton, spokesperson for Natural Resources Canada.
But unlike the extraordinary summer of 2023, where fire activity “did not stabilize ” And where nearly 18 million hectares burned in total, “This year we observe a more normal fire scheme”, he continued.
The intensity of the fires slowed down in June but the country between “In what is normally the two most active months of the season”with conditions conducive to fires in several regions, he warned. More than 560 fires are currently active in the country. Since this spring, 39,000 natives have been evacuated, the Minister of Aboriginal Services said on Friday, adding that the First Nations itst “touched in a disproportionate way” by the lights.
Canada, which warms the rest of the planet twice as quickly, faces more and more violent weather events. Linked to climate change of human origin, the increase in temperatures leads to less snow, shorter and softer winters, and earlier summer conditions that promote fires, according to experts.
