Canada wildfire: Emergency declared in British Columbia as blaze forces evacuations

A state of emergency was declared in Summerland, British Columbia, early Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire spread across western Canada, forcing thousands of residents to leave their homes.

The Bald Range wildfire was burning out of control and had expanded to around 5,000 hectares by Saturday morning, according to the BC Wildfire Service. The blaze began about 15 km west of Summerland and had already triggered evacuation orders in other regional districts earlier this week.

Summerland loses power, issues boil water notice

Summerland, located around 45 km from Kelowna, lost power as the wildfire threatened the area.

Authorities also issued a boil water advisory after untreated water entered the municipal system. Officials said the water treatment plant had been bypassed because of the wildfire threat.

The district has a population of around 12,000, according to the 2021 census.

British Columbia deploys 1,500 firefighters

British Columbia is facing heightened wildfire risks as hot and dry weather continues across the province. Lightning could also trigger new fires or reignite existing ones.

Around 1,500 firefighters are currently deployed across British Columbia, while authorities have issued 39 evacuation orders and 49 evacuation alerts.

Premier David Eby said earlier this week that the province had enough resources to tackle the fires and was prepared to bring in additional firefighters and aircraft from Canada and other countries if required.

Wildfires burn millions of hectares across Canada

Wildfires have affected several parts of Canada this year, including Ontario and Quebec, as hot and dry conditions fuel blazes across forested areas.

Canada has received firefighting assistance from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, wildfires have burned around 3.9 million hectares across Canada so far this year.