WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2023) Some 416 active wildfires continue burning across Canada with 213 deemed out of control, the country's Minister for Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair said on Thursday.
"There are 416 wildfires burning across Canada, and 213 of those are currently determined to be out of control. So far over 6 million hectares have burned in Canada this year," Blair said while providing an update on the wildfire situation.
The minister further noted that although the weather has been helping firefighting efforts in some regions, it remains a challenge and there is concern that new wildfires are "high and extreme" in some instances.
Blair acknowledged the presence of 1,500 firefighters from the United States, and 300 more from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, Costa-Rica, France, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa, thanking them for supporting ongoing efforts to tame the wildfires nationwide.
During the last update on the wildfire situation in Canada on June 15, the Minister for Environment and Climate change noted that current rate at which forest lands are burnt exceeds by far the decade average of 2.7 million hectares per season.
