More Than 24,500 Are Evacuated as Wildfires Burn in Western Canada

Officials in the western Canadian province of Alberta declared a provincial state of emergency on Saturday after more than 24,500 people had to evacuate their homes because of rampant wildfires.

Premier Danielle Smith, the leader of Alberta’s government, declared the state of emergency at a news conference on Saturday afternoon. “The declaration gives the government greater powers to respond to extreme situations,” she said, adding that it would allow the province to access emergency funds and to mobilize additional support.

The fires have become an “unprecedented crisis,” Ms. Smith said at a separate news conference on Saturday afternoon. “This is a rapidly evolving situation.”

Unusually warm and dry weather has mixed with strong winds, sending the number of active fires across Alberta to 110 on Saturday, up from 78 on Friday morning. Christie Tucker, a spokeswoman for the province’s wildfire agency, said 36 fires were still classified as “out of control” as of Saturday evening. She added that nearly 865,000 acres in the province had burned since the beginning…