Fire evacuation orders are in effect across Canada as dozens of wildfires rage in the eastern and western portions of the country. In Halifax alone, more than 16,000 people were evacuated as a wildfire burned roughly 200 properties in the area. 300 more homes were under evacuation orders in nearby New Brunswick as other western provinces Alberta and British Columbia continued to battle wildfires that have burned for weeks. Climate research suggests that heat and drought associated with climate change are major drivers behind bigger and stronger fires.

Heidi MacInnes told the New York Times she feared losing her home describing “burning embers falling in my driveway. There’s no time to talk to anybody about anything — it’s just action.” More than 200 firefighters have been sent to stop the fire around Halifax, and Canada’s Department of National Defense has also been mobilized. (CBC, BBC, NPR, CNN, Axios, CBS News, New York Times $; Climate Signals: Wildfires)