:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_59edd422c0c84a879bd37670ae4f538a/internal_photos/bs/2023/z/G/pPRWL5Skir1yfRA8WWAA/2023-05-29t194214z-1-lynxmpej4s0j3-rtroptp-4-canada-wildfires-novascotia.jpg "Thousands of people leave their homes because of wildfires in Canada | World")
More than 16,000 people were forced from their homes in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia, officials said on Monday (29), when one of several wildfires ravaging the country threatened the city of Halifax.
The fire forced residents of the suburbs to quickly evacuate overnight from Sunday to Monday and led to the declaration of a state of emergency. The fire, however, has not spread since then, although it remains out of control across much of the city’s northwest.
Television images showed large columns of smoke. Several houses and vehicles were destroyed, but it is not known if there were any injuries.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston described a province “on edge”, while Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said the city of 430,000 faces a wildfire landscape “unprecedented”.
The winds that carried the flames changed direction on Monday, pushing the fire from the Halifax area in its original direction.
Authorities, however, said significant rains are needed to extinguish the flames, but none are expected this week.
On Monday, wildfires broke out in eight of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories.
In recent years, Western Canada has been repeatedly affected by extreme weather events, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.
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