The Canadian authorities announced that the start of rain in the west of the country after a long wait brings hope for the possibility of making "real progress" in extinguishing the hundreds of raging wildfires for weeks. Firefighting official Kristy Tucker in Alberta said during a press conference that the rain "fell on almost all of the wildfires burning in the province, except for those located in the far north of Alberta.

Tucker added that this rainfall may represent a "turning point for the firefighters who are struggling to extinguish the fires, stressing that this rain "will give them the opportunity to make real progress in controlling these fires."

Since the beginning of May, many wildfires have broken out in Alberta, resulting in the destruction of more than 945,000 hectares of land and necessitating the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The long-awaited rain began to fall the day before yesterday, Sunday, and is expected to continue falling in the coming days according to the meteorological forecasts. Although the rain was not as heavy as the firefighters needed to help extinguish the fires, it contributed to limiting the scope of the crisis.

The head of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, Bray Hutchinson, said that "this is not the heavy rain we desperately need," but it nevertheless reduced the number of active fires from 94 last Friday to 77 yesterday, Monday. According to Tucker, the rain will make the forests, woods, and pastures "more resistant" to fires, as they will saturate with water. Western Canada has faced severe climate phenomena for years that have increased in intensity and frequency due to global warming.