Alberta, located in western Canada, is racing to evacuate thousands of people as a wildfire is blazing out of control, Euronews reports.
About 80,000 residents of the city of Fort McMurray are at risk, in the heart of Canada’ oil sands.
It’s thought the blaze started due to exceptionally dry conditions after a mild winter with lower-than-average snowfall.
Fort McMurray resident Kaybre Peats described what happened:
“The fire jumped the river. We had basically two minutes to get home, grab all our stuff and we had to leave. I’m very scared and very nervous because I don’t know if I’ll have a home to come back to. But i have my dog and my family and that’s all I need.”
The authorities have appealed for help from neighboring provinces to lend a hand in airlifting vulnerable residents.
Alberta’s Forestry Division says nine air tankers, more than a dozen helicopters and more than 100 firefighters are tackling the blaze.