Thousands of residents of the regional capital Yellowknife in Canada were evacuated as extensive forest fires threatened to spread into the city.
Cold and higher humidity now appear to have helped the firefighters for the time being, while elsewhere in the country a state of emergency has been declared.
Close to 20,000 people have left the city of Yellowknife after authorities called for evacuations, but 1,500 civilians remain in the area.
In British Columbia, in western Canada, a state of emergency has simultaneously been declared after a wildfire near West Kelowna worsened. Evacuations are now underway in that area as well.
TV4 News’ foreign correspondent Tomas Kvarnkullen is in Calgary, where many people sought to escape the fires.
– These are very traumatic experiences for many who have been forced to flee quickly. They don’t even know if their home or town will still be there in a few days.
Many refuse to leave
Despite calls to evacuate, many Canadians choose to remain in their homes, something that worries the authorities.
– You want to be able to focus all efforts on stopping the fire and not have to spend resources on rescuing people who have chosen to stay, says Tomas Kvarnkullen.