Floods, wildfires in western Canada displace thousands

Thousands of people were asked to leave their homes in western part of Canada as sudden extreme heat has triggered wildfires in parts of Alberta.

Local media reported that rapidly melting snow has led to floods in British Columbia.

It said, more than 13,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Alberta, where more than 70 fires were actively burning. The territory of the Little Red River Cree Nation, one of the most severely hit areas, saw the 1,458-hectare fire destroyed 20 homes and the police station.

Earlier, Canadian government said that Western and Central regions of Canada are experiencing abnormally dry conditions and severe drought in some places.
It said, there have already been 348 wildfires in Alberta this year. These fires have burned through 25,000 hectares of land.

Western Canada has been enduring a cold spring up till last week. The quick rise in temperature 10-15 degrees Celsius above the average for this time of the year has led to both fires and flooding.