“We need and we will accept all the support we can get,” said the Premier of Nova Scotia, a province in eastern Canada where firefighters are battling the flames.
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Wednesday asked for help from the army and the United States in the face of major forest fires in the east of the country, including one threatening the surroundings of the city of Halifax where thousands of residents were evacuated.
“We are going through a crisis in the province and we want, we need and we will accept all the support we can get,” said Tim Houston, premier of the province located on the Atlantic coast, during a press conference. . “These fires are unprecedented,” he added.
In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the situation “heartbreaking” and pledged unwavering support, stressing that help was on the way.
“People are tired, frustrated and scared”
These fires come after numerous forest fires devastated the province of Alberta, in western Canada, in May, ravaging hundreds of thousands of hectares.
“People are tired, frustrated and scared,” said Mike Savage, the mayor of the provincial capital, Halifax. More than 16,000 residents of the northwest of the city have already been evacuated.
As of Wednesday, 14 wildfires were active in Nova Scotia, three of which were considered out of control. Some 200 homes and buildings were destroyed, but no injuries were reported.
Additional water hoses, firefighters from US states, a dozen water bombers sent from neighboring regions and the coast guard joined efforts to extinguish the flames.
Smoke from the fires that have ravaged the province for three days has reached the Atlantic coast of the United States, causing air pollution peaks in the state of New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania.
Late Tuesday, the Premier of Nova Scotia announced a ban on all activity in the province’s forests, including hiking.
Source: BFM TV
