Thousands flee raging wildfire in Canada’s Northwest Territories

Smoke from the McDougall Creek wildfire fills the air and nearly blocks out the sun as people take in the view of Okanagan Lake from Tugboat Beach, in Kelowna, British Columbia (The Canadian Press via AP)

Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, is virtually deserted after nearly all the residents of the city of just over 20,000 fled a huge wildfire.

To the south, in British Columbia, thousands more people were told to leave their homes while firefighters battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze.