Canada: Thousands Evacuated due to Halifax Wildfires

Wildfires have raged in Canada's eastern city of Halifax for days, leading to the mandatory evacuation of thousands of citizens as of Monday.

Citizens of the Halifax suburbs including Hammonds Plains, Upper Tantallon, and Pockwork will not be allowed to return until they are notified by municipal authorities.

At least 16,000 citizens have been evacuated, after authorities declared a state of emergency late on Sunday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his government's support to deal with the situation in Nova Scotia, where Halifax is located, which he described as "incredibly serious".

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far.

Television footage showed large columns of smoke billowing and burning homes and vehicles.

The cause of the fire was not known. However, its spread was supported by strong winds and dry woods.

Officials said a large amount of rain, which was not expected this week, was needed to bring the bushfires under control.

Wildfires have also been reported in other regions of Canada over the past few days, including New Brunswick and the western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, but most of them are now under control.

Canada's western regions have been repeatedly hit with extreme weather events in recent years. The severity and frequency of such conditions have been attributed to global warming.