25,000 flee out-of-control wildfires in western Canada

Alberta announced a state of emergency on Saturday as wildfires flared across the Canadian province, forcing 25,000 people to flee their homes. Thousands more have been told to be prepared to leave on a moment's notice, as the number of fires jumped to 110. One-third of the blazes were listed as out of control.

Almost all of Alberta and much of neighboring Saskatchewan province as well as a large swath of the Northwest Territories face extreme fire risks, according to a federal government fire danger map. Some 550 kilometers north of the provincial capital, a severe fire consumed 20 homes, a general store and a police station in the community of Fox Lake. Residents were evacuated by boat and by helicopter.