Wildfires continue to spread across Western Canada. Rain and lower temperatures have not significantly improved the situation so far. are now in

burned over 375,000 hectares of land in the province of Alberta. That’s about as much as Schleswig-Holstein. More than 29,000 people had to leave their homes, they said

authorities with. 31 of the 108 active wildfires are out of control. The province of Alberta declared a state of emergency on Saturday evening due to the extent of the fire. The extent of the damage cannot yet be estimated.

Recent rains have helped fight the blaze somewhat, said Christie Tucker, director of Alberta Wildfire. “It gave firefighters the ability to work on some of the fires that they couldn’t get to due to the extreme nature of the fires.” Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are also expected in the coming days. She also asked for help from the neighboring US state of Montana.

Open fires have been banned in many areas as a precaution. The by-law applies to both public and private land. The extent of the damage is still unclear. The protection of human life and the management of emergencies are currently priorities.

Authorities say there have been more than 360 fires since January. This is an exceptionally high number given that the month of May has only just begun. In 2016, Alberta had already experienced huge fires, at that time more than 2400 buildings had been destroyed.

Given climate change, experts warn that the frequency and intensity of wildfires will increase. In the prairie provinces in the west of the country, the average temperature has increased by 1.9 degrees Celsius since the middle of the 20th century, according to the Environment and Climate Change Agency Canada.