Just 2 kilometres from Fort Nelson, British Columbia, the fire fronts that have been burning for the past few days in northern Canada have reached the town, with authorities urging residents to leave their homes.

Forecasters are calling for strong winds to boost the out-of-control fire, which has already caused thousands of people to be evacuated.

By late Sunday night (early Monday in Greece), fire fronts covered more than 50 square kilometres.

Meanwhile, as the Associated Press reports, perennial drought and limited snowfall in winter are fuelling the fire’s extreme behaviour.

About 3,500 people have been evacuated from Fort Nelson alone since the order was issued Friday, and about 100 to 150 remain in the city.

🔥Canada’s #fire season is unfortunately already underway as an evacuation order was issued for the Fort Nelson area, in British Columbia, on Friday evening, May 10, as wildfires were threatening the community.🔥

Credit: Cheyenne Berreault via Storyful pic.twitter.com/SYHfU6TKF0

— WeatherBug (@WeatherBug) May 13, 2024

Authorities say the city may not have power or water for public use as resources will be allocated for firefighters.

Fort Nelson is located in the northeasternmost tip of British Columbia, about 1,600 kilometres from the city of Vancouver.

Fires are also burning near Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie in Alberta. In Manitoba, local authorities evacuated about 500 people from the community of Cranberry Portage, about 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

In 2023, Canada was hit by a record number of wildfires that sent clouds of smoke across the U.S. and forced more than 250,000 Canadians to evacuate their communities.

There were no civilian casualties, but at least four firefighters lost their lives while battling the blazes.