Wildfire in Canada's British Columbia forces thousands to evacuate. Winds push smoke into Alberta

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

Updated 5:44 AM CDT, May 12, 2024

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian authorities are urging all remaining residents in a town in British Columbia to leave immediately, despite improving weather conditions, after many were already evacuated due to a fast-growing wildfire.

The blaze, which started Friday, almost doubled in size the following day, reaching about 17 square kilometers (4,200 acres). BC Wildfire Service maps showed the fire burning just a few kilometers (miles) west of Fort Nelson’s city limits.

Fort Nelson is located in the far northeastern corner of British Columbia, about 1,600 kilometers (995 miles) from Vancouver. Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson Indian Reserve have a combined population of about 3,000.

In 2023, Canada witnessed a record number of wildfires that also caused choking smoke in parts of the U.S. and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate across British Columbia.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/canada-wildfire-evacutaion-british-columbia-fort-nelson-eaea05912fe506736550fd6c38acb54b

[EarthFirst]

1. The new normal...

…expect it to get worse.

[fargone]

2. Red level air quality alert in MN, ND today

[OldBaldy1701E]

4. I did not notice anything until about two minutes ago.

There is smoke around now. I had to go outside to see what was burning. Now, I come in to continue with my perusal of the DU and I find this. So, it is now visible here in NE Minneapolis. Smells faintly of plastic for some reason...

[SunSeeker]

3. So sad what's happening to that beautiful place.