Raging Canada wildfires threaten critical infrastructure, force
evacuations
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[June 08, 2023]
By Ismail Shakil and David Ljunggren
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Hundreds of uncontrolled forest fires blazed across
Canada on Wednesday, threatening critical infrastructure, forcing
evacuations and sending a blanket of smoky air wafting over U.S. cities.
Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year flames
have mushroomed rapidly in the country's east, making it the worst-ever
start to the season.
About 3.8 million hectares (9.4 million acres) have already burned, some
15 times the 10-year average, said Federal Minister of Emergency
Preparedness Bill Blair.
"Across the country as of today, there are 414 wildfires burning, 239 of
which are determined to be out of control," he told a briefing. The
giant eastern province of Quebec is among the worst affected.
"We've ... seen continued impacts to critical infrastructure in Quebec
such as roads and rural closures, telecommunication interruptions and
high voltage power lines being threatened by the growing fires," said
Blair.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault earlier said the province was able to
fight 40 fires at the same time.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jun/08/images/ads/current/bauer_sda_PROMGRAD_2023.png)
"But we have 150 fires so we have to make sure that we focus where the
problems are the more urgent," he told reporters.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with U.S. President
Joe Biden by phone on Wednesday to thank him for "critical support" in
tackling the blazes. Hundreds of U.S. firefighters have already arrived
in Canada and more are on their way.
"We're seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change.
These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and
our air quality," Trudeau said in a statement on Twitter.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Jun/08/images/ads/current/guzzardos_sda_PROMGRAD_2023.png)
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![](../images/060823PIX/news_r29.jpg)
A helicopter prepares to land in a
staging area near a forest fire that has been burning since Sunday
on the shore of Centennial Lake in the Township of Greater
Madawaska, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
South of the border, more than a dozen U.S. states were under
air-quality alerts on Wednesday as smoke from the wildfires wafted
south.
An unusually early and intense start to wildfire season has set
Canada on track for its worst-ever year of fire destruction as warm
and dry conditions are expected to persist for months.
"In coming years we will have to reflect seriously on how we can
equip ourselves to deal with this new reality. We will be facing
more and more extreme weather events that will cost us a lot more,"
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the briefing.
About 520 firefighters were battling the blazes with another 150 due
to join soon from the army, Legault said. He said he hoped 500 more
would arrive in the next few days from the neighboring province of
New Brunswick as well as France, the United States, Portugal, Spain,
and Mexico.
Residents of the towns of Chibougamau and Ouje-Bougoumou in northern
Quebec received evacuation orders Tuesday night, becoming the latest
group of people in the province to evacuate homes after thousands
were forced out last week.
Around 11,400 people have been evacuated so far from remote parts of
northern Quebec and another 4,000 will be evacuated soon, Legault
said.
In neighboring Ontario province, Canada's most populous,
deteriorating air quality has been forecast this week in cities
including Ottawa and Toronto due to smoke plumes.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and David Ljunggren in Ottawa, and Nia
Williams in British Columbia; editing by Deepa Babington and Diane
Craft)
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