Canada is experiencing the worst fire season in its history, with more than 136,000 hectares burned so far this year and 1,052 active fires.
People are fleeing fires in Canada en masse.
One could hit the city of Yellowknife this weekend, and its 20,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate.
In the northwestern city, there is only one highway leading away from the fire, so traffic is heavy.
Many try to leave by plane, but the authorities give priority to people with mobility or health problems.
Mike Westwick, Canadian Wildfire Information Officer, said, “We are heading into two critical days in dealing with this (Yellowknife) wildfire. We expect to see northwest to west-northwest winds over the next two days and those are the winds. which direct these two fires (Yellowknife and Kakisa) in directions that we do not want. »
The worst fire season in history
It is the largest evacuation in the region this year and coincides with the worst fire season in Canadian history.
Since January alone, the flames have consumed some 136,780 square kilometers of forest, slightly more than the area of Greece.
Currently, the country has 1,052 active wildfires, of which 668 are out of control. In the Northwest Territories alone, 236 wildfires are active.
For the first time, Canada had to ask for help from the European Union to send troops to help put out the fires.
In addition to firefighters from Spain, Portugal and France, specialized firefighting personnel from Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and the United States have been deployed to the country. .
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