The province currently accounts for over a third of Canada’s 1,062 active fires.
Out-of-control fires in Kelowna resulted in the number of people under evacuation orders growing from 4,500 to 15,000 in an hour.
“The current situation is grim,” Premier Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday, saying some 35,000 people are under an evacuation order, and a further 30,000 were under evacuation alert. “We are still in some critically dry conditions, and are still expecting difficult days ahead,” said Jerrad Schroeder, deputy fire centre manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre.
The flames have already destroyed several structures in West Kelowna and authorities have been warning that the province could potentially face the worst couple of days of the fire season this year.The TransCanada highway was closed near Chase, around 400km northeast of Vancouver, and between Hope, 150km east of Vancouver, and the village of Lytton.
Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada, but the spread of blazes and disruption underscores the severity of its worst wildfire season yet. The escalation in British Columbia comes as the northern Canadian city of Yellowknife evacuated most of its roughly 20,000 residents due to a large approaching blaze.
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