Over 20,000 people have been forced to flee fast-moving wildfires raging across western Canada, prompting British Columbia to declare a state of emergency on Saturday as officials warned of “explosive” conditions that could put more communities at risk.
Residents were evacuated from Summerland, home to about 12,000 people, and Peachland, home to 8,000, along the Okanagan Lake.
The so-called “Bald Range Fire” was discovered on Friday and nearly doubled in size overnight into Saturday, forcing even emergency officials to flee.
“I had to leave the Emergency Operations Centre to come and get my family to leave this area. We’re heading south,” Erick Thompson, an emergency official with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen said in a video posted early Saturday.
In a news conference on Saturday, Premier David Eby said a firefighting official compared the fire to a “bomb going off”.
BC wildfires escalated fast, like a ‘bomb going off’
“The fire goes across the top of the trees,” Eby said recounting the official’s description, adding that “he described flames on 100-foot (30.5 metres) tree, flames going 200 feet (61 metres) above that, and the fire creating its own weather system, which creates lightning, which then feeds on itself”.
While tens of thousands fled, search and rescue teams continued efforts to look for residents that were trapped as the fire advanced.
“Air evacuations are underway for people who remain isolated behind the fire perimeter,” Eby said.
National police are also investigating a potential death near Summerland, but current hazardous conditions have prevented authorities from confirming the death.
No official figures have been released yet on casualties or damage caused by the fires.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney thanked firefighters and first responders on X for “working tirelessly to keep people safe”.
“The federal government stands ready to help and support the Government of British Columbia in these efforts,” Carney added.
As of early Sunday, a total of 102 wildfires were reported across the province, the BC Wildfire Service reported.
Many wildfires remain out of control amid extreme heat, strong winds and prolonged drought conditions across the country.
So far this year, wildfires have burned nearly 4 million hectares across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Researchers warn that human-caused climate change doubled the likelihood of extreme fire conditions behind this years Canadian wildfires.