Canada will deploy the military to tackle fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as the western province deals with nearly 400 fires that have led to evacuation orders for more than 35,000 people.
British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Friday and imposed a ban on non-essential travel to free up accommodations for evacuees and firefighters, and urged drone operators and others capturing images of the fires to stay clear of rescue workers.
Trudeau said in a post on X that the federal government will offer support from the Canadian military “to help with evacuations, staging” and other logistical tasks in response to a request from the British Columbia government.
Canada is grappling with its worst wildfire season on record, with more than 200 fires burning in the nearby province of Northwest Territories.
In some cities in British Columbia, the air quality index (AQI), which measures major pollutants including particulate matter produced by fires, was above 350, a “hazardous” level, IQAir, a real-time air quality information platform showed.
Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada but the spread of blazes and disruptions underscore the severity of its worst wildfire season yet, which some experts have blamed on climate change.