Canada is sending armed forces to tackle fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as 35,000 people told to flee their homes.
The western province imposed an emergency late on Friday, giving officials more power to deal with fire risks. By Saturday, more than 35,000 residents were under an evacuation order and another 30,000 were under an evacuation alert.
The McDougall Creek fire is centred around Kelowna, a city some 300 kilometres (180 miles) east of Vancouver with a population of about 150,000.
Ministers and government officials urged residents living in evacuation order zones to take immediate action in the interest of their own lives and that of the firefighters.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also imposed a ban on non-essential travel on Saturday in order to free-up accommodation for evacuees and firefighters. Authorities urged people to avoid traveling to fire zones and operate drones to take pictures, which they said would hamper the work of firefighters.
About 140,000 square km (54,054 square miles) of land, roughly the size of New York state, have already been scorched nationwide, with smoky haze extending as far as the U.S. East Coast. Government officials project that the fire season could stretch into autumn due to widespread drought-like conditions.
Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada but the spread of blazes and disruptions underscore the severity of its worst wildfire season yet.
The fires have drained local resources and drawn in federal government assistance as well as support from 13 countries. At least four firefighters have died in the line of duty.
Officials have not yet given any estimates of the total number of buildings destroyed.
Trudeau in a tweet said that the federal government has agreed to send in assistance following a request from the B.C. government.
Krista Flesjer, who evacuated from the city with her dogs, said it was a rough trip.
“I was afraid of getting caught in the fires that were coming across the road,” she said.
For Flesjer the main worry is whether her house, which is just two years old, would survive.
