British Columbia wildfire forces 20,000 to flee as blaze grows
More than 20,000 people fled as the Bald Range fire raced past 33,000 acres, pushed Summerland under evacuation orders and triggered a provincewide emergency.
A wildfire that began near Summerland, British Columbia, on Friday had burned more than 33,000 acres by Sunday and forced about 20,000 people to evacuate as it raced through the Okanagan. The Bald Range fire remained out of control, with emergency centres in Penticton taking in evacuees and provincial officials widening the response across British Columbia.
It quickly pushed toward Peachland and other nearby communities, with residents in some areas given little time to leave. Evacuation orders covered the entire community of Summerland, a town of about 12,000 people, while the fire also threatened homes near Okanagan Lake. The blaze had doubled in size since it was first detected on Friday and covered more than 36 square miles, or 95 square kilometers, across the Summerland and Okanagan-Similkameen districts.
Premier David Eby declared a provincewide state of emergency as the fire spread, and federal assistance was being provided. The response came as more than 100 wildfires burned across British Columbia and more than 1,500 firefighters were deployed against blazes across the province.
The Bald Range fire was one of the quickest-moving and largest fires in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen's history. Some homes were destroyed in the blaze, and at least one person died in connection with the wildfire.
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