British Columbia to get federal assistance for wildfire

The Canadian federal government said it would assist British Columbia as raging wildfires forced thousands of people to evacuate by providing shelter and accommodation for residents displaced in regions around Summerland and Peachland.

The Bald Range wildfire, which prompted British Columbia to declare a provincial state of emergency and evacuate about 18,000 people, had spread to more than 10,300 hectares last night as firefighters continued to battle the blaze.

"Last night, I approved a request for Federal Assistance from British Columbia to provide shelter and accommodations for people who have been forced to leave their homes due to wildfires across the province," Canada's minister of emergency management and community resilience Eleanor Olszewski said in a social media post.

"I have tasked federal officials, led by the Government Operations Centre at Public Safety Canada, to work with the province to ensure support reaches those who need it most," the minister said.

Over the past 24 hours, southern British Columbia continued to see fires spreading due to hot and dry weather, the province's Wildfire Service said.

Poor visibility and increasing fires created new challenges to aviation and the ground crew response, it said.

Ten helicopters and a night vision helicopter were operating, but were hindered by thick smoke, turbulence and large fires.

The region produces most of the territory's wine and is Canada's second-largest wine-producing area.

Premier David Eby told a news conference that one fire official had likened the fire to "a bomb going off".

"He described flames on a 100-foot tree, flames going 200 feet above that, and the fire creating its own weather system, which creates lightning, which then feeds on itself," Mr Eby said.

"Homes have been lost, and properties have been destroyed. Some people became trapped as conditions changed very quickly, and needed to be rescued," the premier said, adding it remained a very dynamic and threatening situation.

Summerland has a population of about 12,000 people, according to the 2021 census, and Peachland is home to about 6,500 residents.

A state of emergency grants the provincial government immediate access to special powers including travel restrictions and supply protections to prevent price gouging, and specific tools to coordinate rescue work.

Officials said the Bald Range wildfire triggered the largest evacuation event so far this summer and more than 20,000 people across British Columbia have been forced to evacuate their homes.

"A lot of farms have been affected. We don't know how many structures have been lost. They're still busy fighting the fire," Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said in a phone interview.

"We have to brace ourselves for the worst."

Overnight evacuation

Many residents left overnight, driving south to Penticton or north to Kelowna before highways began to close.

Residents recorded videos of fires by the highway and of structures burning as they evacuated.

By yesterday afternoon, ashes began to settle on cars and houses in nearby areas as the fire painted the skies with orange hues.

Summerland lost power and issued a boil-water notice for residents.

The municipality said untreated water had entered the system after it bypassed the water treatment plant due to the wildfire.

Several Canadian provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, have battled blazes this year as hot, dry weather fueled wildfires in dense forest areas.

Firefighters from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand have helped combat the fires.

In British Columbia, where hot and dry conditions have increased the risk of more fires spreading, about 1,500 firefighting personnel were battling more than 100 fires.

The province has issued 40 evacuation orders and 49 alerts.

Fires have burned through 4 million hectares in Canada this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.