United States and Canada – Extreme temperatures in North America are declining, with the risk of wildfires

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Extreme heat has subsided in western Canada, but persistent drought and persistently high temperatures are causing dozens of wildfires. In the province of British Columbia alone, 136 fires have been reported, Cliff Chapman of the Wildfire Service announced Friday. There were 12,000 lightning strikes in a single day. Most of the wildfires were triggered by this. After heating to about 45 degrees Celsius, the temperature has now dropped, but is still above average, Chapman said.

The small town of Lytton, which measured 49.6 degrees Celsius earlier this week, was almost completely destroyed by a fast-spreading fire. More than 1,000 people were forced to flee the city and surrounding areas on Thursday night. Authorities believe two people were killed there. However, forensic medicine announced Friday that sending investigators to the scene of the fire was even more dangerous.

Unexpected deaths

In California, too, hot and dry weather exacerbated the fire situation. Three large fires burned in the north, sometimes displacing thousands of people. However, many residents were able to return to their homes on Friday. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that several buildings were destroyed in the countryside. A spokesman for the Forest Agency of the Shasta Trinity National Forest said the plants had already dried up as they were usually seen until the end of August.

In British Columbia, authorities say a dangerous heat wave has contributed to hundreds of deaths. Within a week, 719 sudden and unexpected deaths were reported in the province, forensic medicine said Friday. That’s three times more than usual. Power assumes that the sharp increase is associated with intense heat.

sda / roy

Posted: 7/3/2021, 3:27 p.m.

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