In Canada, the heat wave has hit the population hard, with hundreds of people succumbing to it in British Columbia alone. And the fires are not getting any less.
The figures are only provisional, but they already paint a clear picture: In the province of British Columbia in western Canada, 719 “sudden and unexpected” deaths were recorded in the past week, reported the province’s chief medical examiner, Lisa Lapointe, on Friday (02.07 .2021) according to the Guardian. That is three times as many as in the same week the year before.
The “extreme weather” of the past few days would have contributed significantly to these deaths, which is why this number has now been published, said Lapointe. And despite a recent downward trend, the number could still rise. Because some municipalities have not yet reported their data. It could be months before the full extent of the heat wave becomes visible.
“Heat dome” over Canada: Hundreds of dead after extreme heat and forest fires
The number of forest fires is also evidence of an extreme weather phenomenon that is causing the province to have the “hottest week in its history,” as the country’s chief John Horgan recently reported. 152 forest fires are currently raging, the AFP news agency reported on Saturday (03.07.2021), citing information from the authorities – a total of 89 of them occurred in the past two days.
Now the army should also be ready to fight the flames. After a meeting of the crisis team led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Department of Defense sent soldiers to individual locations in British Columbia in order to be able to provide logistical assistance if necessary.
Heat wave in Canada causes more than 150 forest fires – Army mobilized
From a meteorological point of view, Canadians live: inside these days under a huge bell – a so-called “heat dome”. This occurs when a high pressure area remains over a region for a long time and hot air accumulates in one place. What is unusual this time is that the phenomenon occurs so early in the year, Andrea Bair, head of the climate service program for the US weather service NOAA, told National Geographic. The southwest of the USA has also been hit by a heat wave.
This does not mean that the worst is already over: “The forest fires show that we are in the first phase of a long and challenging summer,” said Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair recently. And heat waves alone might not be the only danger. British Columbia may now face additional flooding as the heat melts glaciers and snow in the mountains. (mp / afp)
List of rubric lists: © Darryl Dyck / dpa
