Wildfires in Canada’s Northwest Territories are intensifying today due to wind and high temperatures forcing authorities to completely evacuate the town of Hay River, including firefighters and critical service workers.

The Northwest Territories government has ordered everyone in the town of 4,000 who are still there to go to the airport and await further instructions.

“Anyone who remains in Hay River does so at their own risk. No first aid or immediate response services will be available,” the Northwest Territories government said of the area where a state of emergency has been declared.

Two-thirds of the 41,000 inhabitants of this vast region of the Northwest Territories are now fleeing to neighboring provinces, sometimes nearly 2,000 kilometers from their homes.

“Extreme south-westerly winds brought the fire close to the town along the motorway, forcing teams and aircraft to withdraw and regroup at a safe distance,” said Shane Thompson, the region’s environment minister, speaking of a “very serious situation”. .

According to authorities, firefighters are facing a wall of fire several kilometers long.

Canada is experiencing the worst wildfire season in its history, largely due to widespread drought across much of the country and high temperatures in the north.

The 150-million-acre ash mark was passed this week — an area larger than Greece — more than double the previous record set in Canada in 1989 for a full season of wildfires — which did not it’s still over this year.

Almost 200,000 residents had to leave their homes and four people lost their lives.

According to experts, global warming has created much more favorable weather conditions for wildfires.