The western province British Columbia A state of emergency was declared in Canada yesterday as firefighters battle wildfires raging in the hills and mountains above the city of West Kelowna, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

West Kelowna, a city of 36,000 people, is located about 300 kilometers east of Vancouver. Residents are also being evacuated north of nearby Kelowna, a city of 150,000 that also sits on Okanagan Lake.

Flames and smoke are visible from West Kelowna and smoke has covered the sky over the valley surrounding the lake. Earlier, the airspace in the area had been closed in order to attempt water-dropping bombers.

“We are facing the worst fire season in the history of our province,” British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters after declaring a state of emergency. “This unprecedented situation reached a peak tonight. Within the last 24 hours the situation has evolved and deteriorated rapidly.”

From about 4,500 people who had been ordered to leave their homes the number has reached about 15,000 in the last 24 hours. Another 20,000 have been notified to be ready to evacuate.

“The situation is unpredictable right now, and we definitely have some tough days ahead of us,” Eby said.

More than 2,400 properties had been evacuated earlier in West Kelowna, officials said, and several buildings were destroyed overnight.

“We fought hard last night to protect our community.” West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Broland told reporters earlier. “The night became day because of the fire.”

The extent of the fires and the disruption to life and land underscore the severity of Canada’s worst fire season this year, with more than 1,000 active fires across the country.

Some 1,425 kilometers to the northeast, the flames threatening Yellowknife, the capital of the Northern Territories, did not get far, the local fire service said, thanks to the effective efforts of firefighters.

However, strong winds are still pushing the fire towards the city and it could reach its outskirts in the next few hours.

The fire is about 15 kilometers northwest of the city. Fires are raging on both sides of the only highway leading out of the city that remains open.

By Friday night (early Saturday Greek time), 19,000 of the city’s 20,000 residents had left their homes, Environment and Communities Minister Shane Thomson told reporters.

“Some choose to protect themselves on the spot. If you are still in Yellowknife and are not essential to emergency response, please evacuate,” Thompson said.

“There is a real possibility that highways and the airport will be affected by these fires.”

Experts say climate change has exacerbated the fire problem. Drought and high temperatures have contributed to the number and intensity of fires this year, officials said. In much of Canada conditions were unseasonably dry.