British Columbia has declared a state of emergency as a fast-moving wildfire in the province’s southern interior nearly doubled in size, forcing more than 20,000 people to leave their homes.
The Bald Range wildfire had grown to about 9,500 hectares (23,500 acres) by Saturday. It remained out of control west of Okanagan Lake. Evacuation orders were issued for Summerland, Peachland and surrounding areas as flames spread rapidly.
Many residents left overnight, driving towards Penticton or Kelowna before highways began to close. Videos recorded during the evacuations showed flames near roads and structures burning. At the same time, ash settled on cars and homes in nearby communities by Saturday afternoon.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said the fire had created dangerous and rapidly changing conditions, with flames rising high above the trees and generating its own weather system.
Homes and properties have been destroyed, while some residents became trapped and had to be rescued, Eby said.
The scale of the evacuation has made the Bald Range fire the largest evacuation event in British Columbia so far this summer. Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said farms had been affected, although officials were still assessing how many structures had been lost.
The emergency has also disrupted basic services. Summerland lost power on Saturday and issued a boil-water notice after untreated water entered the system when the wildfire bypassed the municipality’s treatment plant.
Reuters reported that the state of emergency gives the provincial government additional powers, including imposing travel restrictions, protecting supplies from price gouging and coordinating rescue operations.
Meanwhile, about 1,500 firefighters were battling more than 100 wildfires across British Columbia. The province had issued 40 evacuation orders and 49 evacuation alerts as hot and dry conditions continued to increase the risk of fires spreading.
The wider wildfire situation remains severe across Canada. About 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) have burned across the country this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Firefighters from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand have also been assisting Canadian crews as the country deals with another intense wildfire season.
