Canada troops battle hundreds of wildfires

Canadian authorities are sending troops to help shore up firefighters' efforts to battle numerous wildfires in the country, after the blazes prompted thousands of people to flee.

The defence ministry said it was preparing to send up to 1400 personnel, including a firefighting force, to help fight the blazes in the western province of Saskatchewan where 13,000 people have been forced from their homes.

The west coast city of Vancouver was also under a cloud of thick smog as smoke from one of the numerous fires in the province of British Columbia poured into the bay city.

People with breathing conditions were advised to stay indoors, provincial authorities said.

Unusually dry weather and high temperatures across western Canada have led to scores of fires.

Several hundred fires, many raging uncontrolled, are burning in the country, local officials reported.

Of the 13,000 people who have been moved from Saskatchewan, about 5000 of them have gone to the neighbouring province of Alberta.