What we know about the wildfires burning in Canada and sending smoke to the U.S. and U.K.
High winds coupled with a warm, dry spring are fuelling a wave of forest fires across western Canada and parts of Ontario.
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More than 200 fires were reported across the country as of Tuesday morning, half of which are labelled out of control.
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Wildfires have already burned close to 2.2 million hectares this year, equivalent to the size of about 4 million football fields. At about seven times its ten-year average, the burn area is unusually large for this time of year.
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The Shoe fire in Saskatchewan's Narrow Hills Provincial Park has scorched 408,000 hectares as of Monday, roughly 18 times the size of the city of Saskatoon, and is threatening 11 communities.
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To the north, a 83,000 hectare fire in La Ronge, Sask, forced several neighbouring communities to evacuate. On Monday , the fire had crossed into the town's airport.
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The evacuation also included 45 acute and long-term care patients from the care homes and a health centre in La Rouge, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said.
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In Manitoba, more than 17,000 residents, including 5,000 people from Flin Flon, a mining city located near the Saskatchewan border, were forced to evacuate from their homes. The smoke has been too thick for water bombers to reach, leaving firefighters struggling to contain the blazes.
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Multiple fires beset the First Nations communities of Pimicikamak Cree Nation and Pukatawagan, prompting the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to make an urgent plea for emergency response on May 30.
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