British Columbia declares emergency as wildfires force 20,000 to flee

British Columbia declared a provincewide state of emergency as fast-moving wildfires forced about 20,000 people to flee communities along Okanagan Lake. The blaze destroyed homes and pushed emergency managers into a provincewide response after a day of rapid escalation across the province.

The hardest-hit area centered on the Okanagan, where the blaze threatened Summerland and Peachland and drove whole neighborhoods out overnight. Summerland’s population is about 12,000, and about 8,000 people in and around Peachland were ordered to evacuate. RCMP blocked northbound traffic on Highway 97 in Penticton to steer residents away from the Bald Range wildfire, and BC Wildfire Service put the fire at 9,500 hectares by 9:34 a.m. Saturday.

Premier David Eby said the provincewide declaration would give officials the specific tools needed to keep residents safe, while Kelly Greene, British Columbia’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, urged people in evacuation zones to be prepared. EmergencyInfoBC remained the province’s official channel for verified updates and evacuation information as local governments, firefighters and police tried to keep routes clear and shelter access moving.

Reuters put British Columbia at more than 100 wildfires, and DW put almost half of the province’s 102 fires out of control. RCMP were investigating a possible fatality linked to the Okanagan wildfire near Summerland, where rural homeowners were left stranded and tens of thousands were forced from beachside communities.