Wildfire forces evacuation of over 3,000 Canadians in British Columbia

Over 3,000 individuals residing in Fort Nelson, located in the western Canadian province of British Columbia, were forced to evacuate their residences due to a wildfire, news outlets reported on Sunday.

Mayor of Canada’s Northern Rockies Regional Municipality told reporters that the wildfire was sparked by a tree falling onto power lines during strong winds.

According to news reports, fire hotspots have been detected several miles from Fort Nelson, and strong winds are impeding the efforts of firefighters.

Approximately 30 million acres (12 million hectares) of land were destroyed by the destructive wildfires last year, an area greater than Cuba or South Korea.

More than 100 million people were impacted by the enormous plumes of smoke that obstructed the air in Canada and the neighboring United States — sometimes causing flights to be delayed — and required the cancellation of outdoor events.