Canadian farmers still worried by possible new wildfires

Canada sent in the army on Thursday to help Alberta province fight wildfires that have scorched forests and grasslands fueled by unusually hot, dry weather. Several Canadian provinces as well as the US states of Oregon and Alaska had already sent almost 300 reinforcements to fight the wildfires.

Almost 30,000 residents had been ordered to flee fire-hit areas last week. The fires have burned more than 410,000 hectares of forest and grasslands, authorities said. About 200 troops were deployed Thursday and 100 more were scheduled to join them.

Four military helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft were also helping to assess flare-ups from the air as well as transport people and equipment. In recent years, western Canada has been hit repeatedly by extreme weather, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.