More than 20,000 people have been evacuated in British Columbia due to wildfires
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, more than 20,000 people have been evacuated due to large-scale wildfires. On Saturday, the province’s Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Resilience, Kelly Green, declared a state of emergency, according to Deutsche Welle.
As of Sunday morning, the British Columbia Forest Fire Service had recorded 102 active fires, up from 70 the previous day. Nearly half of the fires are out of control. The service stated that extreme fire behavior has been observed in the southern part of the province over the past 24 hours due to hot and dry conditions.
Firefighting efforts are being hampered by the rapid spread of the flames and extremely poor visibility. The Bald Range fire, which intensified sharply on Saturday and engulfed the Summerland area—home to about 12,000 people—had spread to nearly 10,341 hectares by Sunday morning.
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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that it is investigating reports of a possible fatality. Officials have not yet released information on the number of fatalities, the extent of the damage, or a list of those missing.
British Columbia Premier David Eby stated that an air evacuation is underway for people who remain trapped within the fire perimeter. Canadian media also reported that more than 50 people had been evacuated from the community of Folder. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the federal government stands ready to assist provincial authorities.
