MONTREAL: Dry vegetation, record heat, and powerful winds: this “perfect weather storm” phenomena fueled the huge forest fires in Alberta province, western Canada, this year, according to researchers.
The extent of the flames and their appearance so early in the year showed the impacts of climate change, scientists opined.
Alberta province’s premier Danielle Smith said that, in the province, 390,000 hectares (963,710 acres) have already burned. So, it’s already ten times the typical fire year, and it is just getting started.
She told journalists that it is an extraordinary and unprecedented event, which the nation should be prepared for in the future.
Nearly30,000 people have been directed to evacuate their homes while hundreds of firefighters were working to control the flames.
Canadian Ministry for natural resources’ specialist in forest fires, Yan Boulanger, said that it is an extraordinary year insofar as the accumulation of burned areas is too rapid, as is the number of huge flames simultaneously.
He said that most flames are of human origin, including cigarette butts, campfires that were not properly snuffed out or sometimes malicious actions.
Spring is a risky time for flames in the area, as no snow remains on the ground, and it is before plants turn green.
Boulanger said that we end up with very dry undergrowth plants and trees that are also very flammable because they have no leaves.
Environment Canada’s meteorologist Terri Lang said that dry conditions make spring a very dangerous time.
Lang told AFP that in early May, a weather phenomenon set in that brought sweltering and dry conditions to the province.
Record high heat
In Edmonton, the mercury increased to 28.9 degrees Celsius on 1 May, beating the previous all-time high of 26.7C set almost a century ago. Farther north, it increased to 32.2C in Fort McMurray on Thursday.
