Alberta Government

Large areas in Canada were battling several hundred fierce forest fires Thursday that have caused thousands to flee their homes, local authorities said.

A wildfire raging in northeastern Alberta near two major oil sands projects nearly doubled in size to 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) on Wednesday, although firefighters made some progress tackling blazes elsewhere in the oil-rich Western Canadian province.

Large areas in Canada were battling several hundred fierce forest fires Thursday that have caused thousands to flee their homes, local authorities said.

A wildfire raging in northeastern Alberta near two major oil sands projects nearly doubled in size to 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) on Wednesday, although firefighters made some progress tackling blazes elsewhere in the oil-rich Western Canadian province.