Huge ecological disaster from the fires in Canada. Tens of thousands of people left their homes, nearly 4 million acres burnedoil facilities shut down: two days after declaring a state of emergency, Canada’s Alberta province on Monday asked for help from the federal government to deal with the “unprecedented” wildfires it is facing.

Monday night almost 100 forest fires were raging in the province of Alberta, of which 25 were considered “out of control” by the authorities.

“Alberta has asked for the help of the federal government to deal with these devastating wildfires. Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau has assured me that Canada will be there to support us in any way possible,” said provincial premier Danielle Smith, who on Saturday had spoken of “unprecedented” fires.

“Canadians stand with the people of Alberta who are facing these terrible fires,” Trudeau pointed out for his part.

Firefighters are focusing their efforts on fires that threaten homes, mainly around the city of Edmonton. According to authorities, nearly 300 patients and residents of rehabilitation centers were forced to leave, while more than 50 schools remain closed.

Several oil companies — notably Vermilion Energy and Crescent Point Energy — indicated yesterday that they had halted production because of the fires.

The Premier of Alberta warned yesterday that the fires “they may continue for several months.”

Hundreds of firefighters

The province of Alberta, one of the world’s most important oil producers, “experienced a hot and dry spring, and a few sparks were enough to cause really scary fires”Smith had explained over the weekend.

Alberta, as well as the neighboring provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, are currently experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions, i.e. “severe drought,” according to Canadian government data.

For several years now, Western Canada has been plagued by recurring extreme weather events, the intensity and frequency of which are getting worse due to climate change. In 2021, a “historic” heat dome had caused the death of hundreds of people, while the phenomenon was followed by large fires.

Authorities are hoping that the expected drop in temperature and some rain will improve the situation.