Canadian province declares emergency amid worst wildfires in over 50 years

A firefighter attends to a fire in the Newfoundland and Labrador province in late July. Photograph: Courtesy Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Province

Officials in Canada’s easternmost province have issued a state of emergency as crews battle the worst wildfires the region has experienced in more than half a century.

Sprawling blazes have consumed thousands of hectares of forest in Newfoundland and Labrador over the last two weeks and remain out of control.