Located in the west of the country, the Canadian province of Alberta is facing an "unprecedented" situation, according to its premier Danielle Smith. Nearly 400,000 hectares have been ravaged by violent fires. "This is ten times more than a usual year and we are only at the beginning," said Tuesday, May 9 Danielle Smith. On Saturday, May 6, a state of emergency was declared in this province.
Spring is usually a fire risk season in Canada: snow has melted and vegetation has not yet grown well, resulting in a very dry and vulnerable undergrowth. But the situation is exceptional this year because of a heat wave that set in at the end of April and a lack of rainfall.
Temperature records
Several temperature records for a month of May have been broken in recent days in the province: 31 ° C in Edmonton, the capital, and even 32.2 ° C in Fort McMurray, on May 4. "To these early heats are added winds conducive to fan the fires," says Cyril Bonnefoy, meteorologist at The Weather Channel*, who evokes gusts of "up to 80km / h".
Aided by this early heat wave and favourable conditions, the fires are progressing very rapidly this year, inexorably nibbling away at the Canadian forest. Firefighters also have to deal with many fires at the same time: a hundred were underway at the beginning of the week, most of them of human origin, according to the authorities.
The many fires in Alberta and neighbouring British Columbia can be seen from space here on May 6. HANDOUT / AFP
A total fell to 76 fires this Thursday, May 11, thanks to a drop in temperatures, but of which 24 are still considered uncontrolled. The risk remains significant in the north of the province, still very dry, warn firefighters. Many reinforcements from the rest of the country and the United States were sent to the scene.
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North America is prone to these extreme heat waves, says Cyril Bonnefoy. This is due to the large plains and north-south oriented reliefs that do not block the upwelling of warm air." But these phenomena are expected to multiply and intensify with global warming, warns the meteorologist. In July 2021, a dome of heat had suffocated Canada, which had beaten - by far - its temperature record with 49.5 ° C and is already facing major fires. But it wasn't that early in the year.
*The Weather Channel is a property of the Figaro group.
