OTTAWA, May 16 (BNA): Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Alberta on Monday as raging wildfires prompted mass evacuations and slashed power production in Canada’s main oil-producing province, with meteorologists predicting almost no rain for the next 10 days or so. that.
In the provincial capital Edmonton, Trudeau received an update on firefighting efforts by Canadian soldiers who have been sent to assist with regional firefighting and recovery efforts since Thursday. The Alberta government has stated that more troops are expected to join in the coming days.
The spreading fires made a strong start to the wildfire season in Alberta, forcing more than 30,000 people to leave their homes at one point and shutting down at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), or 3.7% of national production.
The first 11 days of May set seasonal heat records in several parts of Alberta, including Edmonton, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
MI