Wildfires in Canada force 20,000 people to flee as state of emergency declared

Out-of-control wildfires sweeping western Canada have been compared to a bomb going off, ITV News’ Ciaran Fitzpatrick reports

A state of emergency has been declared in the western Canadian province of British Columbia after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed homes and forced more than 20,000 people to flee.

More than 100 wildfires have been burning across the province, nearly half of them out of control in hot, windy weather and a prolonged drought.

Thousands fled on jammed roads as officials warned that “explosive” conditions could threaten more communities.

Summerland, home to about 12,000 people, was ordered evacuated overnight, along with about 8,000 people in and around nearby Peachland.

The office of British Columbia’s Premier David Eby confirmed “significant structure loss” but said officials could not yet assess the damage because the area remained an active fire zone.

Emergency crews at a closed section of highway south of Peachland, British Columbia. / Credit: AP

Even emergency officials have been forced to flee by the speed of the fire, including Erick Thompson, who said he had to abandon his area’s emergency operations centre and evacuate his family.

“I had to leave the EOC to come and get my family to leave this area. We’re heading south,” he said in a video posted early Saturday from his vehicle as traffic backed up around him.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they are investigating a possible wildfire death near the district of Summerland, but hazardous conditions have prevented authorities from confirming the fatality.

Some residents were trapped as the fire advanced, Eby said, while search-and-rescue crews continued looking for others who may have been caught.

British Columbia Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said 18 firefighting aircraft rescued more than 50 people.

“People have lost their homes. And many people have been displaced,” Eby said, calling the blaze’s sudden growth “a remarkable escalation in fire activity”.

He said the fire became so intense that it generated its own weather system and lightning.

Cliff Chapman, the British Columbia Wildfire Service’s director of operations, called conditions “explosive” and warned that other communities could face similarly fast-moving fires.

The state of emergency declared in British Columbia gives the province additional powers, including the ability to restrict travel and secure accommodations for evacuees that might otherwise be unavailable.

Canada has endured increasingly destructive wildfire seasons in recent years, forcing mass evacuations and repeatedly sending smoke across large parts of Canada and the United States.