9,000 evacuated in northeast Canada due to wildfires

This aerial handout picture courtesy of the Alberta Wildfire Service, taken May 10, 2024, shows smoke from wildfires burning in the Grande prairie forest area, 4 kilometers east of the town of Teepee Creek, in Alberta, Canada. Thousands of people fled their homes on May 12, 2024 in western Canada as hundreds of wildfires beginning earlier than usual portend a difficult fire season. Agence France-Presse

MONTREAL, Canada — Around 9,000 people have been evacuated in northeastern Canada because of raging wildfires, officials said Saturday.

Residents of the towns of Labrador City and Wabush in Newfoundland and Labrador province were ordered to leave their homes, said provincial fire duty officer Jeff Motty.

“We are seeing extreme fire behaviour out there. The fire is moving about 50 meters per minute,” Motty said.

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Images shared on social media showed lines of cars waiting to fill up at gas stations as the sky was obscured by enormous clouds of smoke.

“It was quite a shock to see that much smoke,” Labrador City resident Stacy Hunt told public broadcaster CBC. “And it’s been in pretty much the same place for hours now.”

In this remote region residents must evacuate more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) east via the only road available.

Motty said that the intensity of the fire made it impossible to use water bombers.

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On Saturday morning, Labrador City’s mayor, Belinda Adams, again urged residents to evacuate.

“The fire is still active,” she said in a video posted on social media.

Federal authorities said Friday that the weather had been favorable for limiting fires since the start of summer, but that the country was entering the peak wildfire season.

Last year, the country recorded the worst fire season in its history.

Drier and hotter conditions in many parts of the country caused by climate change have increased the risk of major fires in recent years, according to experts.

Canada is currently battling 575 active fires with more than 400 considered out of control. Many fires have broken out in recent days, particularly in the west of the country that has experienced a heat wave.