Canada is currently facing a severe wildfire crisis, with more than 1,000 wildfires burning over 100,000 square kilometers of land, as reported by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC). Shockingly, over 600 of these wildfires are out of control and rapidly expanding. The burnt area is equivalent to the size of Iceland or South Korea, surpassing the previous record of 76,000 square kilometers set in 1989 and quadrupling the average annual wildfire-burning area of around 25,000 square kilometers.
The situation has led to the evacuation of more Canadians from their homes this year than in the last four decades, with over 155,000 people forced to leave due to fire and smoke. To combat the unprecedented infernos, Canada has deployed 5,500 domestic and 3,300 international firefighters, but the scale of burning still exceeds the available personnel.
Sadly, two firefighters and a pilot have lost their lives in the battle against this monstrous natural disaster. Apart from the immediate impact, concerns are growing over the enormous carbon dioxide emissions from these fires, which further hinder international efforts to mitigate climate change.