With more than 8.1 million hectares of land scorched throughout the nation, Canada has broken its previous record for the biggest area of land destroyed by wildfires in a single year.
There are 483 wildfires throughout the nation, more than 250 of which are deemed out of control. In addition, the flames have resulted in unprecedented carbon emissions, with smoke even reaching Europe.
Wildfire Season
The previous Canadian record for the size of wildfires burned was established in 1989 when more than 11,000 fires broke out. The air quality in Toronto and Ottawa is predicted to pose a “high risk” to people’s health since the fires have been more extensive than they have been in recent memory.
According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) of the European Union, the smoke has reached Ireland, France, and Spain after crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the far east.
- Canada records the largest wildfire-related land destruction in one year.
- Canadian wildfires exceed the 1989 record, posing health risks in Toronto and Ottawa.
- Experts attribute warm spring to 120,000 evacuations, and wildfires destroying homes.
It is “unprecedented” for this early in the wildfire season, which generally lasts from May to September, the number of wildfires that Canada has already experienced this year.
The cause has been attributed by experts to an abnormally warm and dry spring. More than 120,000 people have been temporarily evacuated due to wildfires around the nation, and some of the fires have destroyed houses and other facilities.
Nearly 1,500 international firefighters are on the ground, along with a military presence that has been spread out across the nation by Canada. The US and Canada inked a wildfire agreement that makes it simpler for the two nations to cooperate.
