British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the fast-spreading Bald Range wildfire forced approximately 20,000 residents from their homes in the province's southern interior. The entire population of Summerland, around 12,000 people, was ordered to evacuate, along with about 8,000 residents of neighbouring Peachland, according to local officials.
The blaze, first detected on Friday, has grown to more than 95 square kilometres across the Summerland and Okanagan-Similkameen districts and remained out of control as of Saturday morning. Power was lost across Summerland, and residents were instructed to boil water. Evacuation orders also affected the Peachland watershed, the Brenda Mines area, and Lower Princeton's downtown core.
About 1,500 firefighters are deployed across the province, which has issued 39 evacuation orders and 49 alerts. Premier David Eby said British Columbia has sufficient resources, including additional personnel and aircraft. International firefighting teams from Mexico, Australia, France, and New Zealand have also provided support during a summer of record blazes exacerbated by a recent heat dome.