Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as fast-moving wildfires spread rapidly across southwestern Canada and the western US. In western Canada, more than 20,000 people living along Okanagan Lake in the province of British Columbia have fled their homes, with dozens having to be rescued by aircraft. The fast-moving Bald Range wildfire has burned nearly 34,000 acres and has been deemed “out of control” by the British Columbia Wildfire Service. In response, British Columbia has declared a state of emergency, allowing the provincial government to restrict travel and secure extra resources to coordinate rescue efforts. An 80-year-old woman is reported to have died while attempting to escape the Bald Range fire, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In the US, tens of thousands of Washington residents were allowed to return to their homes as firefighters continue to battle the hot spots of three wildfires burning in the Spokane area. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) has reported 183 wildfires burning across the US, including eight sizable new ones. According to the NIFC, fires are burning across Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, California, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Nevada, and only four have been fully contained. In Southern Oregon, the Wrights Spring Fire has burned over 30,000 acres since it started, causing the death of a first responder.
More than 20,000 people in southwest Canada and the western United States have fled their homes as wildfires, fueled by hot, dry weather, burn more than 3 million acres.
