Aug 18 (Reuters) - A massive wildfire in Canada's western province of British Columbia prompted more evacuation orders early on Friday, as firefighters race against advancing flames to move all residents from the remote northern city of Yellowknife to safety.
The evacuation orders were issued after wildfires that were discovered on Tuesday jumped Lake Okanagan, sparking spot wildfires in Kelowna.
The massive fire to the northwest of Yellowknife only advanced by around one kilometer on Thursday, officials said, held back by winds.
It is now about 15 km away from the city and authorities expect the fires to reach the outskirts of Yellowknife by the weekend.
Officials in British Columbia, which has suffered unusually intense blazes this year, warned residents to prepare for extreme fire conditions.
Persons:
Nobody, Tebbia Teoncey, Jennifer Gauthier, Mike Westwick, Bowinn Ma, Dan Whitcomb, David Ljunggren, Ismail Shakil, Denny Thomas, Stephen Coates, Sharon Singleton
Organizations:
British Columbia, REUTERS, Yellowknife, City of, Emergency Management, Thomson
Locations:
British, Yellowknife, Kelowna, Vancouver, Kelowna ., Northwest Territories, Edmonton , Alberta, Canada, British Columbia, City, City of West Kelowna, Ottawa