Wildfire in British Columbia kills one, forces 20,000 evacuations
A fast-moving blaze near Summerland in British Columbia has killed at least one person, prompted evacuations for about 20,000 residents and left more than 100 other fires burning across the province.
A wildfire that ignited near Summerland in British Columbia on Friday has killed at least one person and forced evacuation orders for roughly 20,000 residents in the surrounding districts, authorities said Sunday. The blaze, known as the Bald Range fire, had burned more than 33,000 acres by the evening and was described as out of control, with dozens of firefighters and support personnel deployed.
Power was cut in Summerland as the fire spread, and evacuation orders remained in effect for the towns of Summerland, Peachland, Central Okanagan, Okanagan-Similkameen and the Penticton Indian Band. A provincial state of emergency continued into Monday while 104 other wildfires burned across British Columbia.
Environment Canada warned that warm, smoky conditions, gusty winds and possible thunderstorms would offer little relief to firefighting efforts on Monday, and an orange air-quality warning was issued for the South Okanagan region due to high smoke impact.
"The cause of the fire is under investigation," the British Columbia Wildfire Service said.
"Widespread and significant impacts from smoke will continue across the Central and Southern Interior, with no improvement expected on Monday," the weather agency added.