Weather, drought may wildfires in western Canada

TORONTO – Drought conditions and shifting winds in Saskatchewan could lead to more wildfires as soldiers and firefighters battle blazes raging across western Canada, officials said Thursday.

Steve Roberts, a Saskatchewan wildfire management official, said warm, dry conditions could cause more trouble in the province that already has 118 wildfires burning.

“I know we’re happy when it’s sunny and dry but it’s really sunny and dry and this is having a huge impact in the community,” said Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, after visiting some of the hardest hit areas of Saskatchewan.

Temperatures in Saskatchewan rose to 86 degrees Fahrenheit by Thursday afternoon.

Fires also continue to burn in British Columbia and Alberta, putting a strain on Canada’s emergency resources. The provinces have asked for help from across the country, as well as the United States, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

Hazy conditions across the West are in part due to large wildfires raging across Canada, blazes fueled by the same hot, dry conditions that have sparked fires in the United States.

The smoke has caused spectacular red sunsets in places like Seattle and prompted air quality warnings in many states.

Haze from smoke drifting south from the wildfires lingered over parts of eastern Colorado for the third straight day on Wednesday.

Air quality advisories have also been issued in places like North and South Dakota.

The B.C. Wildfire Service predicts about 30 new wildfires will erupt daily based on recent dry conditions.

Kerry Anderson, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, said climate change is responsible for the warmer, drier conditions, a result of the weather pattern known as El Nino, which is caused by the warming of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America.

He cautioned that fire crews may not actually be able to put out the fires completely until the fall or the first snowfall.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reports that there are 592 wildfires so far this season in Saskatchewan compared to 213 at the same point in 2014, and that 2.4 million acres have burned so far.

Hundreds of Canadian soldiers have been called in to assist. After a crash course in firefighter training, about 360 troops began working in some of the most urgent areas. They have joined some 600 firefighters that have been struggling to contain the flames.

Officials estimate 10,000 to 12,000 people have been forced from their homes in the region.