The cause of fierce forest fires in Canada

Climate change makes the phenomenon of "zombie fires" more common in Canada. As a result, many forests were threatened and thousands of people had to evacuate

Even in winter, many forest fires in Canada still occur. This is called a "zombie fire" phenomenon , as they occur silently, even underneath a blanket of snow.

A forest fire at Ross Moore Lake, British Columbia province, Canada in July 2023 (Photo: Getty).

According to meteorologists' explanations, the combination of a warming winter and increased dry air in 2023 has created favorable conditions for wildfires to break out this spring.

Experts also said that "zombie fires" were not inherently common in the past, but are gradually becoming more common in the context of climate change, warming the atmosphere, making them and Many forms of extreme weather appear.

As a result, the extreme belts stretching across the region from the westernmost province of British Columbia to northern Alberta have had many large wildfires, while much of the land area from the west coast of Canada to Ontario is experiencing prolonged drought.

As of May 13, it is estimated that there were nearly 100 forest fires breaking out in British Columbia, and another 40 fires in Alberta. Not only that, many provinces in the eastern region were also burned by large fires. About 3,500 people had to evacuate to a safe place as forest fires continued to spread.

Wildfires in Canada will increase sharply in 2023 (Photo: WP).

The widespread and early-starting wildfire in Canada reminded many people of the record wildfire season recorded in this country in 2023, causing firefighters to work "at full capacity" from around May until the end. October, with about 6,500 individual fires.

According to the Canadian Interagency Fire Center, about 18.5 million hectares of forest have burned in 2023, surpassing the previous high of 7.1 million hectares based on records dating back to 1983.

'I have never experienced a snowstorm that smells like wildfire smoke,' said Sonja Leverkus, a firefighter and ecological scientist at the University of British Columbia. ' But now, they are becoming common.' ".

"People often mention the period from May to September as the time when forest fires take place in Canada, but the fires are still not completely extinguished," this expert explained.

"The fire still smolders deep underground, and this phenomenon lasts almost all winter."

Canadian officials have also prepared for this year's forest fires to be more intense, as climate change brings more severe weather.

" The impacts of climate change are coming faster than predicted. We are working tirelessly to protect people in the harshest conditions ," said Bruce Ralston, Canada's Minister of Forests. in a recent announcement.

Previously, Mr. Harjit Sajjan, Canada's Minister of Emergency Preparedness, called climate change "the No. 1 challenge of our time" .