US and Canada struggle to contain hundreds of wildfires

Fires are burning in 12 US states and three Canadian provinces

An army of more than 25,000 firefighters and support personnel are working across the western US to battle at least 104 large wildfires that are blazing in 12 states, while more than 250 fires are burning across the western Canadian province of British Columbia.

In drought-stricken California, the worst-affected state, about 6,000 firefighters are battling the Dixie Fire, which is the second-largest wildfire in the state's history.

The fire in the northern part of the state, which has been burning for more than a month, has torn through about 255,000 hectares of land and destroyed buildings and infrastructure.

Firefighters have gained control of roughly 35 per cent of the fire but authorities estimate it will not be fully contained for at least another month.

On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for El Dorado County due to the Caldor Fire, which has ravaged about 9,300 ha of land in only four days.

Mr Newsom is currently in a recall election after Republican opponents filed petitions against the Democratic governor, citing his mismanagement of the pandemic. Voters received mail-in ballots on August 16 and an in-person vote will take place on September 14.

While California has been the worst-hit state so far this year, Montana has the highest number of large fires actively burning with 27.

"It's been a very active season, so far,” Stanton Florea, a representative for the US National Interagency Fire Centre, told The National.

“There's been large, destructive fires that have impacted communities. We've seen outbreaks of lightning fires across public lands in more rural remote areas. And yet again, we're likely to see at least another six, maybe 10 weeks of active fire season.”

In Canada, this season's fires have been particularly aggressive.

British Columbia currently has 258 active fires, with 27 new blazes igniting in the past week alone.

In June, a fire engulfed the small village of Lytton in British Columbia’s interior, effectively wiping it off the map. Two people died in the blaze and the entire community was razed.

Days before the devastating fire started, Lytton recorded a temperature of 49.9°C, the highest temperature recorded in Canadian history.

Canada is in the midst of a federal election and the fires are playing a role in the campaign.

“We are in a climate emergency,” said Justin Trudeau, the current prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party.

“We’ve taken real action to protect our environment and grow our economy since 2015, but we know that we need to be bigger and bolder in the fight against climate change. The safety and security of Canadians is at stake and we have to act now.”

A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire along Highway 89 in Lassen National Forest, California, the US.

A wildfire in northeastern Minnesota, in the Superior National Forest, prompted several evacuations.

Firefighters and volunteers try to extinguish a blaze in the village of Markati, near Athens, Greece.

A helicopter makes a water drop as a wildfire burns in the village of Navalmoral, Spain.

An Israeli mother and son watch as firefighters battle wildfires for the second day near Shoresh, on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

A volunteer helps tackle a wildfire in the village of Siderina, south of Athens.

A man carries water containers as he helps to douse hotspots in an area hit by a wildfire in El Bir village, Bejaia province, Algeria.

Volunteers try to extinguish a wildfire burning in the village of Markati, near Athens, Greece.

A local tries to extinguish a fire in Markati

A resident walks along a charred forest area following a wildfire in the region of Chefchaouen in northern Morocco.

A volunteer helps to extinquish a wildfire in the village of Navalmoral, Spain.

An Israeli firefighting plane drops flame retardant above Kiryat Ye'arim near Jerusalem, Israel.

An Israeli firefighter combats the fire near Kibbutz Tzuba, Israel.

As a huge wildfire spread in Jerusalem, emergency teams evacuated residents.

Charred trees remain following a wildfire in the region of Chefchaouen, northern Morocco.

A Royal Moroccan Air Force Canadair plane douses a wildfire in the region of Chefchaouen, northern Morocco.

Smoke rises as wildfires continue for a second day in Jerusalem.

Cattle grazes in an open field covered by wildfire smoke along Arlington Road during the Dixie Fire near Taylorsville, California, US.

A burnt area is seen following a wildfire near the Israeli Kibbutz of Tzuba on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Vehicles leave Kibbutz Tzuba as fire spreads in Jerusalem, Israel.

Volunteers try to extinguish a wildfire in the village of Markati, near Athens, Greece.

Blazes rage around houses during a wildfire that broke out in the area of Keratea, Greece.

Police officers attend to a wildfire in the village of Markati, near Athens, Greece.

Volunteers help firefighters in Markati.

A man takes a photo of the newly ignited Mount Law wildfire in Canada.

Smoke bellows from wildfire in the mountains near the Piva lake, northwest Montenegro.

Crews arrive at the scene where a Be-200 firefighting plane linked to Turkey's General Directorate of Forestry crashed in Kahramanmaras, Turkey.

A firefighting helicopter flies in front of the sun which is shrouded in thick wildfire smoke near Lakeview, Oregon.

Rescue teams rush to the scene of wildfires sweeping through forests in the region of Chefchaouen in northern Morocco.

A woman stands on a mountainous side road with her belongings as wildfires spread across Morocco.

Morocco joins several other Mediterranean countries that have seen forest fires in recent weeks, including neighbouring Algeria.

Moroccans have been sweltering in temperatures of up to 49 degrees Celsius, according to weather authorities.

People run away as smoke billows from fires that destroyed some 200 hectares of forest in Chefchaouen, northern Morocco.

A pyrocumulus cloud, also known as a fire cloud, rises in the mountains above Lytton, British Columbia, Canada.

The remains of a large structure and vehicles destroyed by the Lytton Creek wildfire are seen on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway near Lytton, British Columbia.

Firefighters operate at the site of a wildfire between Navalacruz and Riofrio near Avila, central Spain.

Goats wander through the abandoned, unburned streets looking for food after all residents were evacuated in Greenville, California.

A couple view the newly ignited Mount Law wildfire, near Peachland and Glenrosa on the west side of Okanagan Lake, from the waterfront in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.

A wildfire between Navalacruz and Riofrio in Spain is extinguished.

At a campaign stop in Vancouver, Mr Trudeau promised to spend $500 million on training 1,000 firefighters before next year’s fire season.

Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole criticised Mr Trudeau for calling an election when the people of British Columbia are experiencing such a difficult fire season.

“Last Sunday, you put your own political interests ahead of the people of British Columbia who are dealing with the damage and devastation of one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent memory,” Mr O’Toole wrote in a letter to Mr Trudeau.

The fire season, which historically peaks in July, has shown no signs of abating.