Ednews informs via foreign media that thousands of people were asked to leave their homes in western Canada on Friday as sudden, extreme heat has triggered wildfires in parts of Alberta, and rapidly melting snow has led to floods in British Columbia.

 

More than 13,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Alberta, where more than 70 fires were actively burning. The territory of the Little Red River Cree Nation — one of the most severely hit areas — saw the 1,458-hectare (3,602-acre) fire consume 20 homes and the police station.

 

Western and central regions of Canada, which are home to large parts of the country's agricultural land, are experiencing "abnormally dry" conditions and "severe drought" in some places, the latest survey from the Canadian government said.

 

There have already been 348 wildfires in Alberta this year, according to Christie Tucker, an information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire. These fires have burned through 25,000 hectares of land.

 

"This is significantly more wildfire activity for this time of year than we have seen any time in the recent past," Tucker said in a press conference.

 

The situation was expected to intensify on Friday, she further said. "It's going to get hotter, it's going to get windier and we are expecting some extreme wildfire behavior. Firefighters are at the ready today for what could be an extremely challenging Day."