Canada has evacuated thousands of residents in the western part of the country, where hundreds of wildfires broke out on Sunday, marking what federal authorities describe as a "difficult" start to the wildfire season. Fort Nelson Mayor Rob Fraser stated, "The fires are surrounding us from all sides, from the west to the northeast," urging the remaining roughly one hundred residents to leave the city threatened by an out-of-control fire. Rob Fraser noted that moderate weather conditions have helped slow the fire's advance overnight, but the return of winds in the afternoon could worsen the situation. The mayor added, "We are in a level five drought (the highest), which makes fighting wildfires extremely difficult, but we will do our utmost to contain these fires."
Currently, the flames are raging across nearly 2,500 hectares, and about 3,500 people had to be evacuated on Friday evening. In the neighboring province of Alberta, 43 fires are currently burning, one of which is about fifteen kilometers away from Fort McMurray, prompting residents to prepare for a potential evacuation.
