More than 35,000 people in western Canada have had to leave their homes because of the spate of wildfires threatening several cities in the west and north of the country, authorities estimate.
The seriousness of the situation in the country, where some 1,052 forest fires are active, prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to convene the crisis cabinet for the second time in 48 hours, the Efe news agency underlined.
The area most affected by the fires is central British Columbia, with the cities of West Kelowna and Kelowna, which have a combined population of 160,000, under threat.
More than 35,000 people have already had to be evicted from their homes and another 30,000 have been warned to do the same at any time, according to Premier of the Western Province of British Columbia, David Eby.
The large number of displaced people forced authorities to ban tourism on Saturday in the areas hardest hit by the fires to free up space in hotels to house people.
Yellowknife has become a virtual ghost town since most of its 20,000 residents fled following an evacuation order issued Wednesday night, officials said.
For days, long caravans of cars blocked the main road, and those unable to enter the road lined up to catch emergency flights out of the city.
About 2,600 people remained in the city, including emergency workers, firefighters, officials and police officers, as well as some residents who refuse to leave, the Associated Press news agency said.
Source: DN
