Several places in Canada have been ordered to evacuate as western Canada struggles with wildfires as a result of the record-breaking heat wave.
As per the latest reports that have emerged, Lightning strikes have continued to spark dozens more wildfires in the country.
It has been reported that the Emergency services are trying to control more than 170 fires across British Columbia province. Along with the evacuation orders, in several areas, military teams are due to arrive in the coming weeks.
The people from Lytton fled the village, as it recorded highest ever temperature in Canada, i.e., 49.6° C (121.3 F), and was destroyed by the fire on Tuesday. Earlier this week, people had to flee the village of Lytton.
Although the temperatures have been easing in coastal areas of Canada, the inland regions still have a lot to be prepared for. The British Columbia Wildfire Service also said it was preparing for more wildfires throughout the weekend.
As per a report by BBC, on Wednesday evening, around 250 residents were forced to leave without their belongings due to the fire. The village is located about 260 km north east of Vancouver.
“Within about 15 minutes the whole town was engulfed in flames,” Mayor Jan Polderman said.
Some areas in North America have been witnessing abnormally high temperatures since the past couple days. As per the experts, the climate change can increase the frequency of extreme weather events, such as these heat waves.
Cliff Chapman, the director of provincial operations for British Columbia Wildfire Service, told while talking to broadcaster CBC that about 12,000 lightning strikes had been recorded on Friday. Many of these were recorded near Kamloops, north-east of Vancouver.
Many people have been warned that they may have to leave their homes while a number of major roads in Canada have been forced to close.
Canada’s Defence Minister, Harjit Sajjan, has said that the government would provide aid, including military helicopters and personnel, in order to help deal with the fires and rescue people threatened by the flames.
Public Safety Minister of Canada, Bill Blair, said that the weather and the wildfires were having a “devastating” and “unprecedented” impact on the province of British Columbia.
“These wildfires show that we are in the earliest stages of what promises to be a long and challenging summer,” he said.
The Health officials claim that over the past week, the extreme heat has caused as much as 719 deaths. “Many of the deaths experienced over the past week were among older individuals living alone in private residences with minimal ventilation,” Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a statement.