Canada Wildfires: Thousands evacuate as British Columbia declares state of emergency

Up to 15,000 homes have been told to evacuate in the Canadian province of British Columbia as wildfires spread.

Wildfires are fires that burn in woods, forests and dried areas of vegetation.

A state of emergency has been declared by the province, where hundreds of fires are burning.

Wildfires are burning in Charlotte's neighbourhood and she is waiting anxiously to hear whether her home will be ordered to evacuate to a safer place.

Canada is having its worst wildfire season on record according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

At least one thousand fires are burning across the country

Why have there been so many fires in Canada?

The CIFFC says there are at least 1,000 fires burning across the country.

Experts say climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.

Extreme and long-lasting heat dries out the ground, which can provide fuel for fires that can spread at an incredible speed, particularly when the winds are strong.

How are people being impacted by the wildfires?

More than 2,400 homes were evacuated in the city of West Kelowna after a number of buildings caught fire.

Hundreds of miles north, another fire is getting closer to the city of Yellowknife, where nearly all of the residents have left, either by car or plane.

The environment minister Shane Thompson for the North West Territories said: "Some are choosing to shelter in place. If you are still in Yellowknife and you are not essential to the emergency response, please evacuate."

He also warned that the highways and airport could be impacted by the wildfires.

In British Columbia, 4,000 homes were told to evacuate on Friday afternoon, this increased to about 15,000 in a few hours and now another 20,000 are under alert.