SUMMERLAND, British Columbia — British Columbia declared a provincial state of emergency Saturday after the fast-moving Bald Range wildfire doubled in size overnight and forced more than 20,000 people to flee communities along Okanagan Lake.
The fire, first reported Friday evening, grew to 39 square miles, or 103 square kilometers, and raced roughly 9 miles toward the lake within hours, according to the BC Wildfire Service. Premier David Eby announced the emergency at a Saturday news conference, calling the sudden growth "a remarkable escalation in fire activity" and saying the blaze had become intense enough to generate its own weather system and lightning.
The declaration gives the province authority to restrict travel, secure accommodations for evacuees and prevent price gouging, and comes amid what officials described as the largest single evacuation event of the Canadian wildfire summer.
Overnight evacuations
Summerland, a town of about 12,000 people, was ordered evacuated overnight, along with roughly 8,000 people in and around neighboring Peachland, the BBC and CBS News reported. Eby's office confirmed "significant structure loss" but said damage could not yet be assessed because the affected area remained an active fire zone.
Interior Health, the region's public health authority, relocated hundreds of residents from Summerland care facilities, including senior housing, to safer areas. Highway 97, a main artery through the Okanagan Valley, was closed between Peachland and Penticton as evacuees jammed the roads.
"Homes have been lost, and properties have been destroyed. Some people became trapped as conditions changed very quickly, and needed to be rescued," Eby said. British Columbia Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said 18 firefighting aircraft had pulled more than 50 people to safety.
Wider threat
More than 100 wildfires were burning across British Columbia by Saturday, nearly half of them classified as out of control amid hot, windy weather and prolonged drought, CBS News reported. Cliff Chapman, the BC Wildfire Service's director of operations, called conditions "explosive" and warned that other communities could face similarly fast-moving blazes.
Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes told Reuters: "A lot of farms have been affected. We don't know how many structures have been lost. They're still busy fighting the fire." The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they were investigating a possible wildfire death near Summerland but had not confirmed the fatality because of hazardous conditions.
Perimeter and forecast
Provincial officials warned that forecast winds and continued heat could drive further growth in a province that averages 1,600 wildfires a year, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
The order comes six days after Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a similar emergency in Spokane, where wildfires last week destroyed at least 600 buildings and forced 60,000 residents from their homes. British Columbia officials said additional evacuation orders remained possible through the weekend.