SUMMERLAND, British Columbia, Canada — A fast-moving wildfire in western Canada has doubled in size since it was detected on Friday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate as flames spread across parts of British Columbia. The Bald Range fire had grown to more than 36 square miles (95 square kilometres) by Saturday and remained out of control, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
- The Bald Range fire has expanded to more than 95 square kilometres.
- Summerland and several nearby districts have issued evacuation orders or alerts.
- Hundreds of residents in care facilities are being moved to safer locations.
- Officials have not yet determined how many structures may have been destroyed.
Bald Range fire spreads rapidly
The wildfire is burning across the Summerland and Okanagan-Similkameen districts in British Columbia. Its rapid expansion has placed nearby communities under immediate evacuation orders and raised concerns over the ability of residents to leave safely.
Erick Thompson, an emergency official with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, described the blaze as one of the fastest-moving and largest fires he had seen develop over such a short period in the region.
The fire remained classified as “out of control” on Saturday morning, indicating that crews had not yet contained its spread.
Summerland ordered to evacuate
Summerland, a community with a population of around 12,000, was placed under an evacuation order as the fire approached. Officials also reported a power outage across the district early Saturday.
Evacuation orders were also issued in nearby Okanagan, Peachland and Okanagan-Similkameen, while some other areas were placed under evacuation alerts.
The scale of the evacuation response has involved firefighters, emergency management teams, police officers and local communities working to move people away from areas threatened by the advancing fire.
Senior residents moved to safety
Hundreds of people living in care facilities in Summerland, including residents of senior housing, were being relocated to safer areas, according to Interior Health, British Columbia’s publicly funded health authority.
The evacuation operation has required emergency responders and health officials to coordinate the movement of vulnerable residents while crews continue efforts to fight the wildfire.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said emergency workers and communities had worked through the night and into Saturday morning to protect residents and respond to the blaze.
“They continue to do everything possible to protect people and communities,” Eby said.
Emergency official evacuates his own family
The speed of the fire’s advance has also affected officials directly involved in the emergency response. Thompson had been providing updates from the Okanagan-Similkameen emergency operations centre on Friday evening.
By Saturday morning, however, he had left the emergency centre to evacuate his own family from the threatened area.
“I had to leave the EOC to come and get my family to leave this area. We’re heading south,” Thompson said in a video posted from his car.
His decision illustrated the rapidly changing conditions facing people living and working near the wildfire.
Residents struggle to evacuate horses
The evacuation has also created difficulties for residents with livestock and other animals. In the Okanagan area, many residents have been trying to move horses away from the fire, according to Canadian broadcaster CBC.
Some owners who could not relocate their animals reportedly left gates open in the hope that the horses would be able to move away from danger on their own.
Some residents also marked their animals so they could be more easily identified if they were found later, according to CBC.
Extent of property damage remains unclear
Authorities had not yet established how many structures had been destroyed by the Bald Range fire. With the blaze still out of control and evacuation measures continuing, the full extent of damage remained uncertain.
Smoke from the fire was visible above residential areas in Summerland, while images showed flames and smoke rising from forested hills northwest of the community.
Canada faces another severe wildfire season
The Bald Range fire is part of a wider wildfire emergency affecting Canada this summer. Hundreds of fires have burned across the country, including nearly 200 in Ontario during July.
The Ontario fires also sent smoke across populated areas, with air quality in Toronto reaching some of the worst levels in the world for several days.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has also travelled into parts of the United States, including Minnesota and New York. The smoke and its cross-border impact have added another dimension to the region’s wildfire crisis.
Evacuations remain the immediate priority
For communities around Summerland and the Okanagan-Similkameen region, the immediate priority remains moving residents out of threatened areas while firefighters work to contain the Bald Range fire.
The rapid doubling in the fire’s size has increased pressure on emergency crews and local authorities. With the fire still out of control, officials continue to assess evacuation needs as conditions develop.
