A state of emergency was declared in the district of Summerland, British Columbia, early on Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire swept through western Canada, forcing thousands of residents to leave their homes.
The Bald Range wildfire was burning out of control and had grown to about 5,000 hectares by early Saturday, after prompting evacuation orders in other regional districts earlier in the week.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the fire began about 15 kilometres west of Summerland.
Summerland, located about 45 kilometres from Kelowna, lost power on Saturday as a result of the wildfire.
Local authorities also issued a boil water notice after untreated water entered the system when the water treatment plant was bypassed because of the wildfire threat.
Summerland has a population of about 12,000, according to Canada’s 2021 census.
Hot and dry conditions have increased the risk of new fires across British Columbia, while lightning could also ignite so-called holdover fires that can smoulder before becoming active.
About 1,500 firefighting personnel have been deployed across the province.
Authorities have issued 39 evacuation orders and 49 evacuation alerts as crews work to contain fires in several areas.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said earlier this week that the province had sufficient resources and was prepared to call on additional Canadian and international firefighters and aircraft if needed.
Several parts of Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, have also battled wildfires this year as hot and dry weather fuelled blazes in densely forested areas.
Canada has received assistance from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand to help fight the fires.
Wildfires have burned through 3.9 million hectares across Canada so far this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resum...
A state of emergency was declared in the district of Summerland, British Columbia, early on Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire swept through western C...
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An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are progressing and suggested an agreement with Iran could be reached “soon”.
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