Forest fires have forced thousands of people in the Canadian province of British Columbia to abandon their homes.

More than 500 fires are now raging out of control in forests north of the city of Vancouver, thanks to high temperatures and dry vegetation. The temperature in many parts of the province has now reached 36 degrees Celsius for several days in a row and fires have been burning since the beginning of April. Over 50,000 hectares of forest and grasslands have been destroyed.

The cost to the Canadian government has been estimated at almost two million euros a day.

Map showing location of British Columbia from Wikimedia Commons