As several provinces struggle to contain out-of-control wildfires, federal officials warned on June 5 that Canada will likely see an “especially severe” wildfire season.
“Our modelling shows that this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout the summer,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told reporters that there are 413 wildfires burning across the country, 249 of which are deemed to be out of control.
There are also 18 active wildfires specifically impacting First Nations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, he said, and as of the afternoon of June 4, an estimated 26,000 people remain evacuated from their homes across those provinces as well as in British Columbia….