British Columbia Seeks Military Help to Fight Growing Wildfires
- Village breaks heat record, then burns to the ground
- Fires have consumed 300 square miles, expected to grow
A wildfire burns above the Fraser River Valley near Lytton, British Columbia, Canada, on July 2.
Photographer: James MacDonald/BloombergA protracted heat wave is fueling scores of wildfires in Canada’s western provinces, with British Columbia officials saying the extreme heat has caused the death rate to triple and warning that a long summer of firefighting lies ahead.
Environment Canada issued heat alerts on Friday for most of the west, in addition to smoke warnings in parts of B.C., where responders are battling 137 active blazes, the largest one measuring 100 hectares. The fires have consumed 79,000 hectares (305 square miles) so far -- a figure that’s expected to rise to 100,000 hectares by the end of the weekend, prompting the Pacific Coast province to request help, including planes, from the federal government and military.