MONTREAL, Canada: With nearly 1,000 active fires and an area as large as Belgium already burned, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country is facing one of the “most intense” wildfire seasons in its history.
Barely halfway through the summer, virtually all Canadian provinces and territories have been affected. The largest fire, in Ontario, has forced mass evacuations and spread smoke as far as the US East Coast.
While recent rainfall has slightly slowed the spread of the fires, more than 200 remained out of control across the country on Monday.
More than 5,000 firefighters and 300 water tankers have been mobilized, as well as the Canadian Armed Forces. So far, three million hectares (7.4 million acres) have burned.
In Quebec, authorities said assistance from the United States and France arrived at the weekend to “address the significant workload” in the northwest of the province.
