More than 230 fires in northern Canada and thousands evacuated by plane | outside

More than 4,000 fires have broken out in Canada since the beginning of this year. Fires have occurred in almost all of Canada’s thirteen provinces and territories. In total, about 168,000 people have had to leave their homes.

Fires may continue to burn at an unusually high rate for several weeks. The spread is likely to narrow in September.

“This summer has been a challenging marathon,” Michael Norton of the Canadian Forest Service said Friday. More wildfires than usual are expected in August and September.

Norton said the wildfires are largely due to drought, which is still intensifying in some areas.