Record-breaking wildfires force residents to flee western Canada

Record-breaking wildfires force residents to flee western Canada

Thick smoke fills the sky above parts of western and northwestern Canada as the country experiences a record-breaking wildfire season.

Tens of thousands have been forced to flee, leaving some towns almost completely empty.

"Our plan is to head west" says Matt Ekman, a resident of West Kelowna, "to try to regroup there and see what happens next".

Official estimates put the area already burned at 14 hectares, roughly the size of Greece, and almost twice the previous record of 7.3 million hectares.