Wildfires tear through Canada as thousands flee their homes
A wildfire in Canada has pushed 17,000 residents to evacuate as a state of emergency has been declared.
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14 wildfires blaze uncontrollably in the province of Saskatchewan, western Canada.
"The conditions that our northern residents, communities and wildland firefighters are facing today are as severe or quite likely unlike anything we have faced in quite some time, if not ever," said Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan.
Meanwhile, 17,000 residents were told to flee fires in the neighbouring province of Manitoba.
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More than 166 fires are actively burning across the country, reports the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
84 of the fires are "out of control", as of Thursday, with blazes ripping through provinces of Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia.
The Canadian Armed Forces are being deployed to Manitoba to help evacuate residents and fight the fires, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew confirmed on Wednesday
Mr Kinew said that residents would be housed at sports venues and community centres in cities, such as Winnipeg.
"This is a moment of fear and uncertainty," he said.
Earlier in May, a married couple died in a wildfire outside Winnipeg, in a rural area that was under mandatory evacuation.
Sue and Richard Nowell became trapped in their property at Lac Du Bonnet by rapidly spreading wildfire, a fundraiser set up for their children said.
One resident of Flin Flon, in Manitoba, said she could "barely breathe" as she packed up to flee, reported CBC News.
"The town is absolutely smoked out here," said Elsaida Alerta.
We're just kind of in a panic here."
A resident of Creighton, near Flin Flon, told the broadcaster evacuation was "surreal".
"Just seeing everybody exit the community all in a panic was really emotional," said Dawn Hlady.
Canada experienced its worst wildfire season on record in 2023, with more than 42 million acres (or 17.3 million hectares burned, an area larger than all of England and more than double the previous Canadian record.
Scientists have directly linked the increase in wildfire severity to climate change, which is having a pronounced impact on Canada.
The country is warming at twice the global average, largely due to its vast landmass and geography.
Canada’s Arctic region is heating even faster, at three times the global rate, raising serious concerns about long-term environmental consequences.
Wildfire smoke is beginning to spread into the US, triggering air quality alerts.
By Friday, it is expected to reach the cities of Minneapolis, Detroit, Green Bay and Chicago.