BC declares state of emergency as Bald Range fire forces thousands to evacuate
Over 20,000 people were forced to flee communities along Okanagan Lake in British Columbia over the weekend as a fast-moving wildfire destroyed homes and prompted dozens of aircraft rescues, according to the Associated Press.
The Bald Range fire, first reported Friday evening, drove mass evacuations in and around Summerland and Peachland, two communities along the lake. Summerland is home to about 12,000 people. The fire’s rapid advance prompted British Columbia to declare a state of emergency Saturday because of the wildfires.
Anette Boulet was among residents who evacuated from Summerland. She and her family left their home around 4:30 a.m. Saturday as smoke shrouded the area. “You couldn’t see barely. It was, it was just dark, and the ridge, the ridge of fire just coming towards you,” Boulet told the AP. She evacuated to a center in Penticton.
“There’s no words to express it,” Boulet said. “The fear.”
The Bald Range fire also led to the evacuation of about 8,000 people in and around nearby Peachland, according to the AP. Residents across the region were keeping watch for possible evacuation orders while others who had already been forced to flee waited to learn what would remain of their homes.
Wildfires were also burning across the western U.S. on Sunday.