Canadian fire crews on Thursday battled to prevent wildfires from reaching the northern city of Yellowknife, where all 20,000 residents are leaving by car and plane after an evacuation order was declared.

More than 271 structures have been impacted by the Lahaina fire, the U.S. Civil Air Patrol and Maui Fire Department reported after flyovers of Lahaina town on Wednesday..

Behchokǫ̀, a community of about 2,000 people northwest of Yellowknife, issued an evacuation order shortly before 6 p.m Monday evening. A wildfire is burning about 25 kilometres to the east of the Behchokǫ̀, and 45 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife. 

Clean, fresh air can be part of the draw for tourists to Canada's North — but they won't find it this week in Yellowknife due to wildfire smoke.

More properties have been ordered evacuated after high winds fanned a massive wildfire in northeastern British Columbia that is the second largest in the province's history.

The federal government is studying options for creating a new national disaster response agency as wildfires rage across places like Ottawa, Toronto, and other locations in Southern Canada.