- Nearly all of the 3,000 residents of Fort Nelson have fled their homes
- Data from NOAA shows the smoke beginning to drift south of the border
- The blaze comes nearly a year after Canada’s last destructive wildfire season
Wildfires have returned to Canada, with the billowing smoke forcing thousands from their homes and raising the alarm about poor air quality in the United States.
The blaze started Friday in northeast British Columbia and almost doubled in size by the start of the weekend, smoldering just a few miles outside Fort Nelson’s city limits. By Sunday, the fire had consumed over 13,500 acres.
Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson Indian Reserve have a combined population of about 3,000 people, most of whom have been evacuated according to municipality mayor Rob Frayer.
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows smoke beginning to drift into the U.S., with light to medium coverage in Montana, the Dakotas and Minnesota.
These developments have triggered concern about a potential repeat of Canada’s 2023 wildfire season, which was the most destructive in the country’s history.
Over 6,500 fires burnt nearly 71,000 square miles of land from the West Coast to the Atlantic provinces, and a blanket of smog covered New York City for a three-day period last June, turning the iconic skyline orange.
A massive wildfire in British Columbia has scorched 4,200 acres in the Canadian province and forced nearly 3,000 people from their homes
The smoke has raised concern about poor air quality, with residents fearing that there may be a repeat of Canada’s 2023 wildfire season, which blanketed New York city in smog for three days
Authorities issued an evacuation notice for several communities in Alberta on Saturday as the blaze grew (pictured)
Scenes of chaos unfolded in Fort Nelson, where the community’s only hospital shuttered.
The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nation warned those who chose to stay that emergency medical services would not be available, nor ‘groceries or other amenities’.
In the neighboring province of Alberta, authorities posted an alert about a wildfire 15.5 miles southwest of the city of Fort McMurray.
The alert was upgraded to an evacuation notice Saturday, as residents in Saprea Creek Estates were also placed on alert from the municipality of Wood Buffalo.
Roaring winds pushed smoke across the province on Saturday, putting the city of Edmonton under an air quality advisory with hazard levels rated at 10-plus, or ‘very high risk’.
Alberta Wildlife said the windy conditions challenged efforts to battle the blaze, despite deploying five crews of wildland firefighters, nine helicopters and air tankers.
Meteorologists do not anticipate rain and urge people to stay indoors over the next few days. While conditions are expected to begin to improve Sunday night, they will likely remain poor early into the week.
In addition to reduced visibility on the roads, those with preexisting conditions are at risk of experiencing health effects from wildfire smoke.
Canadian officials warned Sunday that people with lung diseases, asthma and heart disease are among those at the highest risk, in addition to pregnant women, older adults, children and those who work outdoors.