The sky turned an apocalyptic red as wildfires ravaged western Canada, forcing thousands to evacuate.

Footage shows the sky dyed crimson-orange as wildfire smoke shrouded Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories on Sunday, August 13, afternoon.

Resident Dana Fergusson said as she recorded the eerie scene: 'This isn't any photo magic. This looks like nighttime in the day in front of the town hall. Wow, like, super duper orange. It looks like nighttime.'

Officials in the capital Yellowknife have urged residents - around 20,000 people - to evacuate by Friday, August 18, as rapidly spreading flames could creep into the city.

As of August 17, there were 1050 wildfires across Canada, with 236 ripping through the Northwest Territories region, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported.