Wildfires ravage US and Canada prompting more evacuations, warnings

Firefighters are in a desperate race to contain a surge of wildfires spreading across Western Canada and the US west coast. The resort town of Jasper has been devastated by a fierce wildfire, one of many blazes across western Canada that have displaced tens of thousands of residents. Canada's Minister of Emergency Preparedness reports 1,160 active fires, with 580 receiving full response efforts and 280 deemed out of control. In the US, Oregon has experienced the burning of 400,000 hectares, while northern California faces severe fires, prompting widespread evacuations. Residents have described the frantic need to escape with little warning. Authorities are hoping the intense heatwave fuelling these fires will soon abate.