20,000 flee as British Columbia wildfire grows overnight despite calm winds

A deadly wildfire in western Canada that has forced some 20,000 people to flee grew overnight even without strong winds, challenging efforts to contain it and fully assess the damage, authorities said.

About 100 firefighters from Mexico were on the way to help fight the blaze, which has destroyed homes and other properties near Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. The fire has killed an 80-year-old woman and burned toward Summerland, a community of about 12,000 people roughly 300 km east of Vancouver.

The fire showed "quite significant growth" in some areas overnight, even without strong winds, said Cliff Chapman, director of provincial operations for the British Columbia Wildfire Service. He added that crews were working around the clock to establish control lines and make it safe for evacuated residents to return home. "We recognised and we heard even last night that people obviously would like to go home. They would like to see the extent of the damage," Chapman said.

Provincial officials ramp up evacuations

Kevin Dunbar, British Columbia's executive director for emergency response and recovery operations, called it one of the largest evacuations in recent provincial history.

British Columbia officials said they had secured 1,600 hotel rooms and 1,000 group-lodging spaces for evacuees in Okanagan, after some residents faced delays getting emergency assistance during the weekend evacuation. Beyond those already forced to flee, another 10,000 people have been told to be ready to leave at short notice.

More than 100 wildfires were burning across the province, and officials warned that dry lightning could spark new fires in the Central Interior and Okanagan. The province also asked the federal government for help expanding lodging for evacuees.

The RCMP is investigating whether criminal activity played a role in the fire. Chapman said about 4 per cent of wildfires in British Columbia over the past decade were suspected of being deliberately set, but officials have not said the Bald Range fire was intentionally started.

Evacuated residents recount emotional experience

Lucille and Gordon Beach of Summerland were in Vancouver for the weekend wedding of a granddaughter when they heard the fire had started. "We didn't feel too celebratory," Lucille Beach said on Tuesday.

The couple, staying for now in West Kelowna with their dog, had not seen their home since leaving on Friday but believed it was fine. It took a few days to adjust to the reality of what was happening, Lucille Beach said.

Carmen Bodzasy evacuated from Summerland, where she and her husband had recently moved. She had to navigate the evacuation on unfamiliar roads while he was away for work. Before leaving, "I cried my eyes out for a minute, and I thought, you know what, if I had to restart over, what would I take with me?" She took photos of her parents' wedding, her children's families, and of her and her husband. "I thought if I didn't have walls to go home to, at least I have memories to put up on my new one," she said.

Holding her small dog on Tuesday, she was unsure of the status of their home but said that whatever happens, she intends to stay in Summerland, a place where people wave at passing motorists and stop to ask how you're doing. "I'll do whatever I can to help that town rebuild because everybody's so kind there," she said.

Other fires burning in the West

In the US, firefighters in California on Tuesday were fighting a blaze that has burned roughly 8 sq km in the Big Sur region of the state's rugged central coast. Area state parks have closed and evacuation orders have been issued, including for a roughly 11-km stretch of Highway 1, the state's iconic coastal route. The highway was open as of Tuesday morning, California Highway Patrol spokesperson Ryan Moore said.