Nearly 400 wildfires raging in Canada's British Columbia (BC) province have prompted the evacuation of at least 30,000 households, while another 36,000 are currently under an evacuation alert, the media reported on Monday.
In a statement late Sunday, the provincial Emergency Managaement Minister Bowinn Ma said officials "cannot stress strongly enough how critical it is to follow evacuation orders", reports the BBC.
"They are a matter of life and death not only for the people in those properties, but also for the first responders who will often go back to try to implore people to leave," the Minister was quoted as saying.
BC Premier David Eby put the total number of people ordered to leave at 35,000, with 30,000 told to be prepared to evacuate.
The grim development comes after two massive fires in the province's Shuswap region merged overnight, destroying houses and other buildings.
Meanwhile, authorities have also restricted travel to the waterside city of Kelowna and smoke from nearby fires hangs over Lake Okanagan.
Fires have also charred homes in West Kelowna, a nearby city of 36,000.
The travel restriction around Kelowna is designed to ensure enough accommodation for evacuees and emergency workers.
It also applies to the towns of Kamloops, Oliver, Penticton and Vernon and Osoyoos.
Hundreds of miles north, a huge fire continues to edge towards the city of Yellowknife, the capital of Northwest Territories, the BBC reported.
An official deadline to evacuate the city lapsed on August 18.
About 19,000 of the city's 20,000 inhabitants had evacuated, according to officials.
Canada is witnessing its worst wildfire season on record, with at least 1,000 fires raging across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).
Although no deaths have been reported in the latest fires, at least four firefighters have lost their lives during this record-breaking season.
Flood like situation in Sawai Madhopur; schools shut in 3 Rajasthan districts
Heavy rains have created flood-like situations in different parts of Rajasthan. Schools have been shut in Ajmer, Dholpur and Sawai Madhopur because of the heavy rains and the danger of flooding.
Typhoon Bebinca to approach Japanese islands over weekend: JMA
Japan's weather agency on Wednesday issued a warning as Typhoon Bebinca is expected to approach the country's island chain, including Okinawa and Amami regions over the weekend, bringing severe weather conditions.
Surat claims top spot in India's air quality rankings
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma presented the awards to the best-performing cities where the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is being implemented.
Andhra floods claim 15 lives, affect 4.48 lakh people
Heavy rains and floods in Andhra Pradesh have so far claimed 15 lives and affected more than 4.48 lakh people across seven districts, officials said on Monday.
Devastating floods kill 59 in Bangladesh this month
Devastating floods this month in Bangladesh have killed at least 59 people, according to the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre (NDRCC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
PM Modi assures support as Gujarat CM mobilises flood relief efforts; toll 28
Even as the death toll in the Gujarat floods touched 28 on Thursday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel highlighted the ongoing crisis caused by heavy rains and the assurance of help given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vadodara flood: 5,000 evacuated as Vishwamitri River flows 12ft above danger mark
Severe flood conditions have gripped Gujarat's Vadodara city over the past three days as the Vishwamitri River flows 12 feet above the danger level and has submerged the low-lying areas completely.
Flood situation slightly improves in Tripura; over 17 lakh hit, properties worth Rs 5K cr damaged
The flood situation in Tripura which spelled havoc in the state for the first time in over three decades, damaging properties worth over Rs 5,000 crore, slightly improved on Friday, an official said, adding vast areas including crop lands and human habitations in urban and rural areas are still inundated.