Thousands flee eastern Canadian wildfires

More than 16,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Monday, as one of the hundreds of wildfires raging across the country threatened the city of Halifax.

The fire, which is still burning uncontrollably along the northwestern edge of the city, has not grown since a state of emergency was declared late on Sunday, forcing residents of the suburbs to evacuate immediately.

Several homes and vehicles were destroyed by the fire, as depicted on television, but no injuries have been reported.

Tim Houston, premier of Nova Scotia, described a "tense" province, while Mike Savage, mayor of Halifax, described a "unprecedented" fire situation.

"We have not expanded the perimeter of the (evacuation zone) since yesterday, which provides some optimism that the situation may have stabilized," Savage said at a news conference. However, this is a dangerous situation.

Monday, the winds that had fanned the flames changed direction, pushing the wildfire in the Halifax region back in the direction from which it had originated.

However, officials stated that significant rainfall was required to contain the Nova Scotia wildfires, and none was predicted for this week.

On Monday, eight of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada were experiencing wildfires.

In recent years, the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events in western Canada have increased as a result of global warming.