Canada’s province of Alberta faces more wildfires amid hot, dry weather

Authorities in Canada’s main oil-producing province said on Saturday they had already seen an increase in fire activity and were expecting more

Special alerts have been declared across western Canada and officials urged vigilance with temperatures in some areas forecast to hit 30 degrees Celsius

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The Bald Mountain Wildfire burns in the Grande Prairie Forest Area in Alberta, Canada on Friday,. Photo: Government of Alberta Fire Service / Canadian Press via AP

Published: 7:03am, 14 May 2023

Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta faces an upsurge in wildfire activity as western Canada swelters in hot, dry weather and blazes keep thousands from their homes.

Authorities said on Saturday they had already seen an increase in fire activity and were expecting more. Residents forced to evacuate early this month say they are frustrated with the indefinite displacement.

Special alerts have been declared across western Canada, and officials urged vigilance with temperatures in some areas forecast to hit 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), 10 to 15 degrees above normal.

Burned land is seen following fires in Shining Bank, Alberta, Canada on Thursday. Photo: AFP

“The wildfire danger is extreme in most of the province and will continue to increase in the coming days,” Alberta Wildfire official Josee St-Onge told a briefing on Saturday.

“We are expecting wildfire activity to pick up today. In fact, it already has.”

As of Saturday afternoon there were 83 active wildfires in Alberta, 21 of them out of control, according to authorities. About 16,500 people were displaced as of Saturday, down from about 30,000 earlier this month.

Oil and gas producers had shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or 3.7 per cent of national production.