Canadian Province Declares State of Emergency as Wildfire Forces Thousands to Evacuate

Reuters

Royal Canadian Mounted Police block Highway 97 Northbound to direct people away from the Bald Range wildfire in Penticton, British Columbia.

The Canadian province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Saturday after a fast-moving wildfire nearly doubled in size overnight, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.

According to Reuters, the Bald Range wildfire remains out of control and has expanded rapidly to around 9,500 hectares (23,500 acres), prompting evacuation orders in Summerland, Peachland and several other communities west of Okanagan Lake in the province's southern interior.

The affected region is home to most of British Columbia's wine industry and is Canada's second-largest wine-producing area.

Premier David Eby told a news conference on Saturday that one fire official had likened the fire to "a bomb going off".

"He described flames on 100-foot tree, flames going 200 feet above that, and the fire creating its own weather system, which creates lightning, which then ⁠feeds on itself," Eby said.

"Homes have been lost, and properties have been destroyed. Some people became trapped as conditions changed very quickly, and needed to be rescued," the premier said, adding it remained a very dynamic and threatening situation.

Summerland has a population of about 12,000 people, according to the 2021 census, and Peachland is home to about 6,500 residents.

A state of emergency grants the provincial government immediate access to special powers including travel restrictions and supply protections to prevent price gouging, and specific tools to coordinate rescue work.

Officials said the Bald Range wildfire triggered the largest evacuation event so far this summer and more than 20,000 people across B.C. have been forced to evacuate their homes.

"A lot of farms have been affected. We don't know how many structures have been lost. They're still busy fighting the fire," Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said in a phone interview from Penticton. "We have to brace ourselves for the worst."

The municipality of Summerland also experienced a power outage on Saturday and issued a boil-water advisory after untreated water entered the supply system when it bypassed the local water treatment plant because of the wildfire.

Canada has faced another severe wildfire season this year, with several provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, battling large blazes fuelled by prolonged hot and dry conditions. Firefighters from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand have been deployed to assist Canadian crews.

In British Columbia, where elevated temperatures and dry weather continue to increase the risk of new fires, around 1,500 firefighters are battling more than 100 active wildfires. Provincial authorities have issued 40 evacuation orders and 49 evacuation alerts.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, wildfires have burned approximately 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) across Canada so far this year.



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