Alberta experiencing ‘unprecedented’ wildfire situation
A provincial state of emergency was declared May 6, as over 100 fires actively burned in Alberta, Canada.
A provincial state of emergency was declared in Alberta, Canada on Saturday, May 6, due to wildfires burning across the province that have forced more than 24,000 people to evacuate.
In a press conference held on Saturday to announce the state of emergency, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith attributed the wildfire outbreak to heat the area has been experiencing.
“Much of Alberta has been experiencing a hot, dry spring, and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires,” Smith said. “These conditions have resulted in the unprecedented situation our province is facing today.”
Fire bans and restrictions have been enacted across the region to prevent manmade fires from contributing to the situation, especially in the wake of strong winds that have helped flames spread.
At the time of the press conference, Smith said there were 103 fires burning across Alberta that had burned 121,909 hectares (about 301,243 acres). As of Monday, May 8, there were still 94 active wildfires in the region.
These wildfires have also disrupted the supply chain, as Alberta is Canada’s main oil-producing province. According to Reuters, production has been impacted at a dozen energy providers including Pembina Pipeline Corp, which shut down two gas plants north of Hinton and west of Fox Creek, as well as Cenovus Energy, which shut in production and brought plants down in some areas.
According to Reuters, these interruptions have shut in at least 185,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, which accounts for about 2% of the country’s oil production. On Sunday, May 7, natural gas exports to the United States fell to their lowest rate since April 2021.