British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Saturday after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed homes and forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate communities around Okanagan Lake in western Canada, with dozens of residents rescued by aircraft.
Premier David Eby declared the emergency as more than 100 wildfires burned across the province, nearly half of them considered out of control amid hot, windy conditions and prolonged drought.
The Bald Range wildfire, first reported on Friday evening, expanded rapidly to more than 100 square kilometres as it raced about 15 kilometres toward Okanagan Lake within hours. Officials said the blaze grew so intensely that it generated its own weather system and lightning.
Evacuation orders were issued for Summerland, a community of about 12,000 people, as well as around 8,000 residents in and around nearby Peachland. Eby’s office reported significant destruction of buildings but said the full extent of the damage could not yet be assessed because the area remained an active fire zone.
The rapid spread of the fire forced emergency officials themselves to evacuate. Erick Thompson, an emergency official with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, said he had to leave an emergency operations centre and evacuate his family as conditions deteriorated.
“I had to leave the EOC to come and get my family to leave this area. We’re heading south,” Thompson said in a video recorded from his vehicle as traffic backed up on evacuation routes.
Some residents became trapped as the fire advanced, Eby said, while search-and-rescue teams continued efforts to locate people who may have been caught in the affected areas.
British Columbia Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said 18 firefighting aircraft had been involved in rescue operations and had evacuated more than 50 people from areas threatened by the flames.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they were investigating a possible wildfire-related death near Summerland, although dangerous conditions prevented authorities from immediately confirming the fatality.
Officials described the fire conditions as “explosive” and warned that other communities could face similarly rapid developments.
Cliff Chapman, director of operations at the British Columbia Wildfire Service, said the combination of heat, wind and dry conditions had created an exceptionally dangerous environment for firefighters and residents.
British Columbia Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said the state of emergency gives the provincial government additional powers, including the ability to restrict travel and secure accommodation for evacuees.
Highway 97, a major route through the region, was closed between Peachland and Penticton as thousands of residents attempted to leave the area.
At an evacuation centre in Penticton, Summerland resident Anette Boulet described the approaching flames as “doomsday”. She said she fled before dawn with her family and five dogs and did not know whether her home had survived.
Canada has experienced increasingly destructive wildfire seasons in recent years, with large fires forcing mass evacuations and sending smoke across extensive areas of Canada and the United States.
Tags:ABC News
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