Tourists with drones criticized because of terrible fires in Canada

Officials in the Canadian province of British Columbia have urged tens of thousands of residents to heed the warnings and evacuate from areas threatened by “serious and rapidly changing” wildfires, and urged “irresponsible” tourists traveling through the fire zones to stop flying drones in the area.

“We cannot stress enough how important it is to follow evacuation orders when they are given,” said Provincial Emergency Minister Bowinn Ma. “This is a matter of life and death, not only for the people living in these homes, but also for first responders who often come back to try and beg people to leave.”

Much of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the city of Kelowna, has been “very dynamic,” according to The Guardian. About 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, while another 36,000 have been put on alert to be ready to flee the disaster area, Minister Ma said.

Tourists affected by wildfires and drone operators have been urged to stay away so emergency crews can work safely. “The drones pose a significant risk to our crews fighting fires,” BC Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston said Saturday. “Now is not the time to shoot footage with photos of active forest fires. Launching them in fire zones is not only irresponsible, but also illegal.”

Some tourists have posted their wildfire experiences on social media and there are photos of people lining up to see the wildfires.

Bruce Ralston also asked people to stay away from the lakes that water bombers use to replenish water supplies to fight fires.

When asked about her concerns about “fire detection,” Minister Ma said, “I don’t know if that’s actually a real term, but what we absolutely can’t have on our roads is people taking pictures as they exit the their cars, visiting settlements where there is a high activity of forest fires, getting in the way of crews.

Drones could interfere with aircraft involved in critical firefighting missions, Ma said.

Kelowna, a city of 150,000, was suffocated by thick smoke as it became the last town to be hit in the summer by massive wildfires across Canada that burned millions of acres. About 3,400 workers are involved in firefighting in British Columbia in western Canada.

“The current situation is grim,” provincial premier Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday.

Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season ever, according to The Guardian, with more than 14 million hectares (34.6 million acres) already burned, according to official estimates, about the same as in Greece and almost double the area of ​​the last record 7 .3 million hectares. So far, four people have died.

Maple Leaf Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to Aby about the “fast-paced and incredibly devastating wildfire situation” and pledged federal resources to respond to the disaster.

Meanwhile, fires further north in the Northwest Territories have led to the evacuation of the regional capital of Yellowknife, turning the outlying town of about 20,000 into a ghost town. Health Minister Julie Green said on Saturday that one of 39 hospital patients evacuated from Stanton Territorial Hospital died during a trip on Friday. According to her, the death was “expected”.

The winds fanned the wildfires towards Yellowknife, but it eased up a bit on Saturday after an overnight rain that brought the temperature down sharply.

However, city officials have warned that warmer temperatures will return on Sunday. Shane Thompson, the province’s environment minister, said on Saturday evening it was not yet safe to return to Yellowknife because the fires were blazing deep in the forest and were still active and huge.

Since the evacuation order was issued on Wednesday, more than 19,000 people have fled by road or air, with about 1,000 essential employees remaining in the area. Fire crews remained to erect fire protection while water bombers were seen flying low over the city and the Canadian military also assisted them.

Tony Whitford, former commissioner of the Northwest Territories and longtime resident of Yellowknife, arrived in Calgary City on one of the first flights and praised the evacuation. “My congratulations to all of them,” Whitford, 82 and wheelchair bound, said of the organizers. “It’s so difficult – 20,000 people – it’s unbelievable. Everything went smoothly.”

Previously, several cities and indigenous communities had been evacuated. The exodus from Yellowknife means that half of the population of the Arctic territory has been displaced.

The ongoing fires have taken a “terrible toll,” Trudeau told reporters after meeting Yellowknife evacuees on Friday as they arrived in Edmonton, Alberta with no idea when they could return home.

Martha Kanatsiak, who has lived in Yellowknife for 28 years, arrived in Calgary late Friday night. “I’m fine, but I feel sad, depressed and anxious. I’ve never seen anything like it,” the 59-year-old Eskimo pensioner told AFP.

About 40 flights carrying about 3,500 passengers from Yellowknife have arrived in Calgary, officials in the city, which has made available nearly 500 hotel rooms, said.

In British Columbia, fires have already destroyed several properties in West Kelowna. Among them, according to local media, the Lake Okanagan resort, which is known for hosting high-ranking politicians such as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

British Columbia authorities on Saturday announced an emergency order to stop non-essential visits to the area. The order, which prevents visitors from checking into hotels and other temporary accommodations, applies to Kelowna and the nearby cities of Kamloops, Oliver, Penticton and Vernon, as well as Osoyoos near the US border.