Nearly 20,000 Albertans have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires continue to rage across the province with hot, dry conditions in the forecast for the foreseeable future. Provincial officials said the total number of evacuees has risen to 19,342 Sunday, up from 16,520 the Saturday. The additional 2,800 evacuees came from three new areas now under evacuation order, including Rainbow Lake, parts of Leduc County and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. “We are all doing all we can to protect communities at risk, but Albertans need to remain vigilant and closely follow updates on their current wildfire situation,” said Alberta Emergency Management Agency executive director Colin Blair. Hot, dry conditions have led to what officials are calling an “unprecedented” early fire season in Alberta. Alberta remains under a state of emergency with 19 additional states of local emergency, five band council resolutions and 14 evacuation orders in place Sunday, up from 10 on Saturday.

Additional coverage in the Globe and Mail (for subscribers only): Thousands more evacuated in Northern Alberta as wildfires rage