Western Canada has declared a state of emergency in the face of a worsening crisis caused by hundreds of forest fires that have forced the evacuation of thousands of people in the last few hours. It is estimated that 20,000 people have already been displaced by the flames that engulf the houses.

It is the worst season of forest fires in the history of the country, practically no province in the country has been spared and they estimate 13 million hectares burned, the equivalent of the surface of Greece.

“This is something we’ve seen across the country this summer. From the East Coast with the fires in Nova Scotia, to dealing with wildfires in almost every province,” Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, detailed.

The province of British Columbia is now going through the worst situation. This Friday it had 388 forest fires active but it is feared that the situation will worsen in the next few hours due to weather conditions.

The most serious fire is the one that affects the populations of West Kelowna and Kelowna, about 300 kilometers east of Vancouver and with a combined population of more than 160,000 people. The flames have advanced in the last hours and have destroyed several buildings in the two towns.

Kelowna International Airport has had to cease operations and airspace has been restricted to firefighting operations.

Meanwhile, in the Northwest Territories, in the north of the country, the authorities announced on Friday night that 95% of the 20,000 inhabitants of the city of Yellowknife have already evacuated the town.

In the last few hours, emergency teams with the help of the country’s armed forces have created firebreaks around Yellowknife while spraying the ground and buildings with liquid to protect them against the flames.