Canada faces ‘long, tough summer’ of wildfires with even hotter temperatures

Flames from the Donnie Creek wildfire burn along a ridge top north of Fort St John, British Columbia, Canada, on 2 July. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

Canadian officials have warned that the country faces a “long, tough summer” of wildfires as the current season shatters previous records and forecasts predict even hotter temperatures to come.

Federal data showed that on Friday more than 9m hectares (22.2m acres) of the country had burned, shattering a 34-year record.