Wildfires prompt evacuations in B.C., Alberta

CTV Vancouver: More than 100 wildfires Scorching hot temperatures and dry conditions have firefighters hard at work across the province, and have prompted evacuation orders.

Aggressive wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta have prompted evacuation orders in both provinces as crews struggle to contain the flames.

A remote Alberta community was ordered to evacuate as a raging wildfire in B.C. approached the border.

A state of local emergency and evacuation order were declared Tuesday evening for the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16.

The evacuation order applies to a remote part of northwestern Alberta south of the Wapiti River, west of Nose Creek and the Two Lakes Road and north of Township 61.

Residents in the area were advised to immediately leave their homes with their personal belongings.

Meanwhile, fire officials in B.C. say "dry lightning", which occurs when lightning strikes in the absence of significant precipitation, is to blame for dozens of new fires in northeastern parts of the province.

B.C.'s Wildfire Management Branch is reporting 125 fires in the province, 40 of which began on Wednesday.

Provincial fire information officer Navi Saini said one of the most significant fires is burning in the Mount McAllister area.

"As of Tuesday night it was 10,000 hectares in size and zero per cent contained," Navi Saini told CTV News Channel on Wednesday.

The evacuation order is in addition to one issued by the regional district covering the 64-square-kilometre Red Deer Creek fire, which officials say is 35 per cent contained but continues to threaten oil and gas camps near the B.C.-Alberta border.

The Alberta provincial government is reporting 16 wildfires as of Wednesday, four of which were expected to grow.