Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes in western Canada where hundreds of fire fronts were raging on Sunday, as the fire season, which started earlier than usual, is expected to be difficult and extremely dangerous, according to federal authorities.

“Our flames have really come to life, from the west to the northeast,” Rob Fraser, the mayor of Fort Nelson, told AFP in a frantic appeal to about a hundred residents who remained on the scene to leave as the town is threatened by front out of control.

The fire, which extends to about 25,000 hectares, was yesterday raging at a distance of 3.5 kilometers from the first houses. Almost 3,500 residents were forced to leave, 400 kilometers further south, on Friday night.

Milder weather allowed the fire to spread somewhat overnight, but things took a turn for the worse after midday when strong winds picked up again, Mayor Fraser explained.

“We are in a level 5 drought, which makes the fight against wildfires extremely difficult, however we will do our best to contain” the front, he added.

In the neighboring province of Alberta, 43 fires were raging, one of which was about fifteen kilometers from Fort McMurray, forcing its residents to prepare for the possibility of having to leave.

This city, in the middle of a boreal forest, known for its tar sands, had suffered enormous damage due to a fire in May 2016. Its almost 90,000 inhabitants had been forced to leave it hastily.

This fire is the worst disaster in Canadian history: it destroyed some 2,500 buildings and caused almost 10 billion Canadian dollars (about 6.8 billion euros) in damage.

Other emergency evacuation orders were issued over the weekend in small communities in Alberta and Manitoba, while strong winds pushed smoke westward, causing suffocation in major cities. Air quality poses “very high” risks, the federal government said.

In an updated warning issued last Wednesday, Ottawa warned that “warmer than normal temperatures” in the coming months, added to “drought conditions” will “increase the risk and intensity of wildfires.”

In 2023, Canada experienced the worst fire season in its history. The fires, which swept the country from east to west, burned 150 million hectares, claimed the lives of eight firefighters and forced the authorities to proceed with the hasty evacuation of 230,000 people from their homes.