Thousands evacuate as wildfire grows ‘dramatically’ in western Canada
Al Jazeera
Authorities say wind will push the Parker Lake Wildfire closer to the small community of Fort Nelson, British Columbia.
Thousands of people in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia (BC) have been evacuated from their homes as authorities warn that a enormous wildfire continues to grow.
In a video shared online late on Sunday, Cliff Chapman of the BC Wildfire Service said the Parker Lake Wildfire has exhibited “fast growth and high fire behaviour” since it began on Friday, west of the town of Fort Nelson.
A small community of about 3,000 residents, Fort Nelson is located 1,600km (995 miles) north of Vancouver in northeastern BC.
“Over the weekend, wildfire activity in the northeast of the province increased dramatically,” Chapman said in the video, shared on social media.
As of early Monday morning, the blaze had reached 5,280 hectares (13,500 acres) and was just west of Fort Nelson, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
