Wildfire-Ravaged Canada Province Saw 12,000 Lightning Strikes In A Day Wildfire-Ravaged Canada Province Saw 12,000 Lightning Strikes In A Day At least 174 wildfires were active in Canada s British Columbia province, 78 of them sparked in the last two days, according to officials.
Most of the wildfires active in Canada were caused by intense lightning storms. (File)
Ottawa:
The Canadian military was on standby Saturday to help evacuate towns and fight more than 170 wildfires fuelled by a record-smashing heat wave and tinder-dry conditions as the government in Ottawa warned of a long and challenging summer ahead.
At least 174 fires were active in the western province of British Columbia, 78 of them sparked in the last two days, officials said. Most were caused by intense lightning storms. The fires were north of the city of Kamloops, 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Vancouver.
A wildfire southwest of Deka Lake in British Columbia. AFP
OTTAWA: The Canadian military was on standby on Saturday to help evacuate towns and fight more than 170 wildfires fueled by a record-smashing heatwave and tinder-dry conditions as the government in Ottawa warned of a “long and challenging summer” ahead.
At least 177 fires were active in the western province of British Columbia, 76 of them sparked in the last two days, officials said. Most were caused by intense lightning storms.
The fires were north of the city of Kamloops, 350 kilometers northeast of Vancouver.
“We saw 12,000 lightning strikes, roughly, yesterday,” said Cliff Chapman, the director of provincial operations for British Columbia Wildfire Service, according to public broadcaster the
Canadian military on alert as wildfires rage news24.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news24.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Canada wildfire: Army on standby to evacuate towns threatened by blaze
AFP/Ottawa
AFP
At least 152 fires active in British Columbia, 89 of them sparked in the last two days.
Ottawa prepared Friday to send military aircraft and other help to evacuate towns and fight more than 100 wildfires in western Canada fueled by a record-smashing heat wave.
According to wildfire officials, at least 152 fires were active in British Columbia, 89 of them sparked in the last two days. Most were caused by lightning strikes.
The fires were located north of the city of Kamloops, 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast of Vancouver.
Experts believe the heat wave, which has triggered extreme heat alerts in areas where millions of people live, is caused by global warming. The heat has killed more than 700 people in Canada and at least 16 in the United States.
Record-smashing heatwave fuels over 150 wildfires in western Canada thejournal.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thejournal.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.