New fires at the weekend set off more Canadian wildfire smoke-related air quality alerts for North America. The heatwave in North America is mirrored in parts of Europe, with fears it will set off fires in Greece.

On Saturday, 14 July, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre recorded 903 active fires, of which 581 were out of control, 102 were being held, and 217 were under control.

With Canada's fires showing no sign of slowing and the country calling for more international firefighters to come to their aid, South Africa has a team in Alberta and is sending a second on Tuesday.

A young Canadian firefighter died in British Columbia last week. She reportedly got separated from her team and was later discovered trapped under a fallen tree. The 19-year-old was airlifted to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, took to Twitter to express his condolences at her death.

The news from British Columbia - that one of the firefighters bravely battling wildfires has lost her life - is heartbreaking. At this incredibly difficult time, I'm sending my deepest condolences to her family, her friends, and her fellow firefighters.-- Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 14, 2023

At the start of July, Working on Fire's Trevor Abrahams explained to Daily Maverick that falling trees were a unique danger in Canadian fires because of the trees' lateral root systems, and firefighting...