World

Trudeau Sends in the Military to Fight British Columbia Wildfires

DESPERATE MEASURES

Over 35,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.

A view shows wildfires in West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Aug. 17, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.
DevonspittleREAL/YouTube via Reuters

Canada is sending its armed forces to tackle the fast-moving wildfires tearing across British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday. The western province has declared a state of emergency and imposed a ban on all non-essential travel, with more than 35,000 people ordered to evacuate during the crisis. In a tweet Sunday, Trudeau wrote that British Columbia’s request for federal support had been approved, with the military mobilized to provide aid and help offered “with evacuations, staging, and other logistical tasks.” Some experts have blamed climate change for the ongoing disaster in Canada, which is enduring its most severe fire season in history.

Read it at Reuters