British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire nearly doubled in size overnight, forcing thousands of residents in the western Canadian province to evacuate their homes.The Bald Range wildfire was burning out of control after rapidly expanding to about 9,500 hectares (23,500 acres), prompting evacuation orders in Summerland, Peachland and other communities west of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia’s southern interior. The region is home to most of British Columbia’s vineyards and is Canada’s second-largest wine-producing area.Officials said the fire had triggered the province’s largest evacuation event of the summer so far, with more than 20,000 people across British Columbia forced to leave their homes.Summerland has a population of about 12,000, while neighbouring Peachland is home to around 6,500 people, according to the 2021 census.The state of emergency gives the provincial government immediate access to special powers, including imposing travel restrictions, protecting supplies from price gouging and coordinating emergency and rescue operations.British Columbia Premier David Eby said at a news conference on Saturday that a fire official had described the blaze as being “like a bomb going off.”“He described flames on 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,” Eby said, as cited by Reuters.“Homes have been lost, and properties have been destroyed. Some people became trapped as conditions changed very quickly, and needed to be rescued,” the Eby added.Many residents fled overnight, travelling south towards Penticton or north to Kelowna before several highways were closed.Several Canadian provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, have also battled wildfires this year as hot and dry conditions fuelled blazes across densely forested areas. Firefighters from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand have joined Canadian crews in efforts to contain the fires.In British Columbia, about 1,500 firefighters were battling more than 100 active wildfires as hot, dry conditions continued to raise the risk of further outbreaks and rapid spread. The province has issued 40 evacuation orders and 49 evacuation alerts.Wildfires have burned about 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) across Canada this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
