UNPRECEDENTED MEGAFIRES

IN EASTERN CANADA

After the west of the country and the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan at the beginning of May, it is the east and in particular Nova Scotia which have just been affected by huge fires due to very bad weather. hot and dry, in a province unaccustomed to fires.

Unusual fires in Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia, at the heart of all concerns in recent days, 16 fires were active on Thursday. Some 200 homes were destroyed and nearly 20,000 people evacuated. "Breathtaking numbers," said Tim Houston, the province's premier. Since the beginning of the year, the Atlantic province has experienced nearly 200 wildfires that have burned more than 19,000 hectares and displaced more than 25,000 people. In 2022, there were only 152 fires that burned 3,390 hectares. But while fires are not uncommon in Nova Scotia, they tend to be much smaller. Located on the east coast of Canada, Nova Scotia's climate is heavily influenced by the North Atlantic Ocean, which brings higher humidity and more moderate temperatures than in many other parts of the country. In addition the region is covered by what is known as the "Acadian forest", which contains many broadleaf trees, such as sugar maples, mixed with evergreens, such as conifers. Hardwoods are less flammable than conifers because their branches and leaves are further from the ground and their leaves retain more moisture. The Acadian forest is much less prone to large fires than the forests of western Canada. mixed with evergreen trees, such as conifers. Hardwoods are less flammable than conifers because their branches and leaves are further from the ground and their leaves retain more moisture. The Acadian forest is much less prone to large fires than the forests of western Canada. mixed with evergreen trees, such as conifers. Hardwoods are less flammable than conifers because their branches and leaves are further from the ground and their leaves retain more moisture. The Acadian forest is much less prone to large fires than the forests of western Canada.

But Atlantic Canada received light snowfall this winter, followed by an unusually dry spring. Nova Scotia's capital, Halifax, received just 120 millimeters of rain between March and May, about a third of the average, according to Michael Carter, meteorologist with the Weather Network. A scorching heat wave at the end of the May pushed temperatures in Halifax up to 33 degrees Celsius on Thursday, about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year.

And with the arrival of an extreme heat wave and strong winds, "we are far from out of the woods", explained David Steeves, of the Ministry of Natural Resources, speaking of a situation "very dangerous and volatile".

Firefighters from the United States and South Africa are expected as reinforcements in the coming days. "We need Mother Nature on our side on this," added David Steeves.

One of the huge fires reached the suburbs of the province's main city, Halifax, and forced authorities to evacuate more than 16,000 people northwest of the city. It now seems partially under control. But another fire near Lake Barrington is under particular scrutiny, as it is still out of control after ravaging 20,000 hectares. It is the largest fire ever recorded in the province.

Heat records

In the other provinces of eastern Canada, notably in Quebec and Ontario, record temperatures were reached in several places. In Toronto, the thermometer reads 30.7°C, according to Environment Canada, surpassing the previous daily record of 28.3°C set in 1948.

In the west of the country, a month after the outbreak of fires that forced the province of Alberta to declare a state of emergency, more than 60 fires were still in progress and more than 1.13 million hectares have already burned. In the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, one of the breadbaskets of the country, about twenty fires were counted and more than 850,000 hectares went up in smoke.

Canada, which, due to its geographical location, is warming faster than the rest of the planet, has been confronted in recent years with extreme weather events.