Bald Range wildfire forces over 12,000 evacuations in British Columbia
Provincial authorities said the Bald Range wildfire forced more than 12,000 residents to evacuate across the Okanagan region on August 8, as the blaze burned over 53 square miles and a state of emergency was declared, with officials still assessing property damage. Earlier reports in early August indicated that the fire had driven over 20,000 people from their homes around Okanagan Lake, prompted a province-wide emergency response, sent smoke into the United States and mobilised more than 30,000 firefighters, while international assistance was offered by Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand.