A big fire is spreading quickly in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Thousands of people have been told to leave their homes. Even though the weather is improving, officials still ask everyone in that area to go.

The fire started on Friday and got much bigger on Saturday, covering about 17 square kilometers. It’s now very close to the city limits of Fort Nelson. Videos and pictures online show thick smoke rising high into the sky, and it looks like the haze covers a large area.

The local government and the Fort Nelson First Nation have warned people who are still there that they won’t be able to get medical help or buy food because services are not available.

Most of the 3,500 people who live around Fort Nelson have already left. Police are going door to door to make sure everyone gets out safely.

There are three big fires near Fort Nelson right now. It’s far away from Vancouver, about 1,600 kilometers.

The hospital in Fort Nelson has been closed and emptied to keep everyone safe. A resident named Bud Streeper said in a video that the strong winds that made the fire grow a lot on Friday night calmed down, which helped reduce the fire’s activity near the town.

The wind pushed smoke from the fire into parts of Alberta, too. In Edmonton, the air quality became horrible, so people were told to stay inside. Weather experts say there won’t be rain soon, so it’s important to stay indoors to avoid the smoke.

In Alberta, there’s another fire about 25 kilometers away from Fort McMurray, a city known for its oil sands. It could make it hard to see on the highways, but no one has been asked to leave yet.

Last year, Canada had a lot of wildfires, and this year seems to be starting the same way. Smoke from these fires even reached some parts of the United States. Many people had to leave their homes in British Columbia because of the fires.