Canada's Hay River town evacuated due to wildfires

Wildfires in Canada's northwest territories on Friday forced the evacuation of the entire town of Hay River, a community of about 4,000 people on the Great Slave Lake, authorities said.

According to Reuters, the government of the Northwest Territories ordered everyone in town, including essential workers, to go to the Hay River Merlyn Carter Airport and await further instructions.

"Anyone who remains in Hay River is doing so at their own risk," Reuters quoted the Northwest Territories government as saying in an alert posted at 15:23 local time on Friday. "There will be no emergency services or response available."

Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, and in the past week, more than 50,000 people, including the entire population of the Northwest Territories' capital Yellowknife, have been forced to flee their homes.