The weather station in the Canadian town of Lytton showed 49.6 degrees earlier this week - three days in a row.
It is the highest temperature ever measured in western North America.
As a result of the extreme heat, a major fire is now raging in Lytton, a small town located just over 250 km inland from Vancouver.
According to reports from the television station CTV News, all residents have been asked to evacuate.
At 18.00 on Wednesday evening, on the advice of Mayor Jan Polderman, the town's 250 residents were forced to leave their homes.
The flames may have taken over the whole village
After the evacuation, the mayor then drove back again, which he describes as "one of the worst decisions of his life".
- The city center was engulfed, there was smoke everywhere, says Jan Polderman.
He believes that there is a chance that part of the community has been able to escape the fire - but at the same time he would not be surprised if the flames have taken the whole village.
- I just hope that everyone got out of there, he says.
Risk of more fires
The authorities have not yet been able to get a clear picture of the total extent of the fire.
The local rescue service also warns of more forest fires in the province due to the hot and dry weather conditions.
According to the BBC, the province of British Columbia, to which Lytton belongs, has registered more than double the number of deaths in the last five days compared to normal.
Whether it is due to the heat and the fires, however, is not yet fully determined.
Even before the fire in Lytton, several fires were fought in nearby areas, according to the regional fire authority, BC Wildfire Service.