Canada’s western province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Friday as firefighters battled wildfires raging in the hills and mountains above the town of West Kelowna forcing thousands of evacuations.
West Kelowna a city of 36,000 people is located some 300 kilometres (180 miles) east of Vancouver. Evacuations were also being carried out north of nearby Kelowna a city with a population of about 150,000 also on Okanagan Lake.
The flames and smoke were visible from West Kelowna, and smoke filled the valley surrounding the lake. Earlier the airspace in the area had been closed to clear the way for water bombers.
“We are facing the worst wildfire season in our province’s history” British Columbia Premier David Eby told reporters when he made the declaration. “This unprecedented situation has come to a head this evening.
In just the last 24 hours, the situation has evolved and deteriorated quite rapidly.”The province has gone from about 4,500 people being under an evacuation order to about 15,000 people in the past 24 hours. An additional 20,000 people are under an evacuation alert.
“The situation is unpredictable right now, and there are certainly difficult days ahead,” Eby said.
More than 2,400 properties were evacuated earlier in West Kelowna, officials said, and several structures were destroyed during the night.
“We fought hard last night to protect our community,” Jason Brolund, West Kelowna fire chief, told reporters earlier.
“Night turned to day because of the orange glow of the clouds and the fire.” The expanse of fires and disruption to life and land underscore the severity of this year’s worst-on-record Canadian wildfire season, with more than 1,000 active fires burning across the country.
Some 1,425 km to the northeast, the massive blaze threatening Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories’ capital city, made little progress on Friday, the territorial fire service said, because of successful firefighting.
However strong winds are still blowing the blaze toward the city and it could reach the outskirts by the weekend. “Critical, challenging days” lie ahead, the fire service said.
The fire is about 15 km (9 miles) northwest of the city. Fires have been burning on either side of the only highway out of town, which remained open.
“It is on fire on both sides of the road . it’s a very surreal experience,” said Brent Saulnier, who had been visiting.
By Friday evening, some 19,000 of the city’s 20,000 inhabitants had evacuated, the territories’ environment and communities minister Shane Thompson told reporters.
“Some are choosing to shelter in place. If you are still in Yellowknife and you are not essential to the emergency response, please evacuate,” Thompson said.
“There’s a real possibility that the highways and the airport could be impacted by these wildfires.”
Experts say climate change has exacerbated the wildfire problem. Drought and high temperatures have contributed to the number and intensity of this year’s fires officials say. Much of Canada has seen abnormally dry conditions.
Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Timon Johnson; Reporting by Chris Helgren, David Ljunggren, Ismail Shakil, and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Writing by Denny Thomas, David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis, Josie Kao, Kim Coghill and Sonali Paul.
- Wildfires and Evacuations: British Columbia’s western province declared a state of emergency due to wildfires in the hills and mountains above West Kelowna, leading to thousands of evacuations. The nearby city of Kelowna also faced evacuations.
- Severity of Fires: The wildfires were described as part of the worst wildfire season in the province’s history. The situation escalated rapidly, with a significant increase in evacuation orders in just 24 hours.
- Evacuation Numbers: Over 15,000 people were under evacuation orders, and an additional 20,000 were under evacuation alerts. The fire situation was unpredictable and challenging, with the potential for difficult days ahead.
- Fire Impact: The fires destroyed structures, and the sky was filled with smoke, impacting the area around Okanagan Lake.
- Yellowknife’s Situation: There was a massive blaze threatening Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories, located around 1,425 km northeast of the affected area. Despite firefighting efforts, the fire was still a threat due to strong winds pushing it towards the city.
- Evacuations in Yellowknife: A significant portion of Yellowknife’s population had evacuated, with warnings about the potential impact on highways and the airport due to wildfires.
- Climate Change and Wildfires: Experts attributed the severity of the wildfire problem to climate change noting that drought and high temperatures contributed to the increased number and intensity of fires.
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