British Columbia wildfire forces 20,000 to evacuate

A fast-moving wildfire in British Columbia has forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate and prompted officials to declare a state of emergency, as crews worked to reach people isolated behind the fire perimeter.

Officials said winds pushed the Bald Range wildfire to grow rapidly late Friday, sending flames into the Summerland area and affecting communities in surrounding valleys.

The fire covered an estimated 10,341 hectares as of early Sunday and was considered out of control, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Saturday there had been “significant losses of homes and property” and that some people became trapped as conditions changed quickly. He said air evacuations were underway for people isolated behind the fire perimeter.

Kelly Greene, British Columbia's minister of emergency management and climate readiness, declared the state of emergency.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it was investigating a possible fatality reported by a Meadow Valley resident. Officials had not yet provided casualty or damage figures.

CTV News reported that more than 50 people had to be airlifted from Faulder as flames advanced.

Prime Minister Mark Carney thanked firefighters and first responders on X and said the federal government was ready to support British Columbia.

Eby said the fire, first reported early Friday evening, remained active and that significant challenges remained.

The BC Wildfire Service reported 102 active wildfires in the province as of early Sunday, with nearly half of them considered out of control. It said extreme fire behaviour had been seen in southern British Columbia over the previous 24 hours because of continuous hot and dry conditions, and that emergency response efforts were hampered by poor visibility and elevated fire behaviour.

Researchers at the World Weather Attribution group said this week that human-induced climate change doubled the likelihood of the extreme fire conditions behind this year's Canadian wildfires.