Fire crews are still fighting dozens of wildfires burning in Canada’s western provinces, and officials are saying they need all the help they can get to gain the upper hand.
There are 37 wildfires burning out of control in Alberta, and just under 100 wildfires in total.
Additional crews have recently arrived in Edmonton from Mexico to help battle the fires in the northern part of the province.
1,700 firefighters are on the ground battling the blazes, which have burned a swath through Alberta.
Meanwhile, wildfires in Saskatchewan are also raging, forcing 13,000 people out of their homes.
Premier Brad Wall says it’s the largest evacuation in the province’s history.
“This is unprecendented. It’s the largest fire we’ve had in terms of proximity to communities. But also it’s ten times as large as fires we’ve recently had in the province. You don’t budget for those sorts of things, you just make sure the budget is there.”
The Canadian military has been deployed to that province to fight the fires. 500 troops have already been trained and 900 more are on standby for training.
In B.C., firefighters from as far away as Australia have been called in to support the firefighting efforts there.
Officials say that due to dry conditions, 30 new wildfires are expected to start every day.
For more information on wildfires in Alberta, go to the province’s website.
