Canadian authorities on Saturday, August 8, ordered more than 20,000 people to evacuate their homes as a rapidly spreading wildfire in British Columbia, western Canada, approached communities along Okanagan Lake.
The evacuation orders encompassed all residents of Summerland, a town of approximately 12,000 people, as well as about 8,000 residents of Peachland and its surrounding areas. Authorities have not yet determined the number of homes destroyed by the fire.
The Bald Range wildfire began Friday evening, August 7, and expanded within hours to approximately 5,000 hectares, moving nearly 15 kilometers toward Summerland before Kelly Greene, the province’s Minister of Emergency Management, declared a state of emergency.
Local media reported that over 50 people were evacuated by air from the Fulford area as the fire advanced.
An emergency management official in the Okanagan-Similkameen region described the blaze as one of the fastest-spreading and fastest-growing wildfires the area has experienced.
British Columbia Premier David Eby stated that authorities were aware of “significant losses to homes and property” and that some individuals had become trapped as conditions changed rapidly.
“Aerial evacuations are underway for people who remain stranded because of the fire,” he added.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X that the federal government was ready to “provide assistance and support to the Government of British Columbia in these efforts.”
“My thoughts are with everyone who has been forced to leave their homes, and I hope they can return safely soon,” he added.
