British Columbia declares state of emergency as fast-moving wildfires force thousands to evacuate

Nearly 22,000 people were under evacuation orders, and another 9,700 have been warned they should be prepared to flee their homes after a fast-moving wildfire prompted authorities in British Columbia to declare a state of emergency.

The premier, David Eby, announced the emergency as more than 100 wildfires burned across the province, nearly half of them out of control in hot, windy weather and prolonged drought.

The entire community of Summerland, home to about 12,000 people, was ordered evacuated overnight, along with about 8,000 people in and around nearby Peachland. Officials had not determined how many homes were destroyed.

At a press briefing, Eby said that one fire official had described the blaze as being “like a bomb going off”.

Eby said some residents became trapped and had to be rescued, while search-and-rescue crews continued looking behind the fire lines for anyone else who may have been caught.

“I know many families are facing an unimaginable day today,” Eby said. “People have lost their homes. And many people have been displaced. Others are waiting for news about loved ones.”

Cliff Chapman, the director of wildfire operations for the BC Wildfire Service, said firefighting helicopters were diverted to rescue people who could no longer escape by road. He said the outcome would have been significantly worse without cooperation among agencies responding to the fire.

The Bald Range wildfire was first reported on Friday evening but grew to about 50 sq km (19 sq miles) within hours, overwhelming the smaller community of Faulder and covering the roughly 15km (9 miles) to Summerland at extraordinary speed.

Chapman described fire conditions across British Columbia as “explosive” and warned that other communities could face fires similar to the one that forced the evacuation of Summerland.

Kelly Greene, British Columbia’s emergency management minister, said the state of emergency gives the province additional powers, including the ability to restrict travel and secure accommodations for evacuees that might otherwise be unavailable.

Erick Thompson, an emergency official with the regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen, called it one of the “quickest-moving, fastest-growing” wildfires the region had experienced.

Thompson eventually had to abandon the emergency operations center and evacuate his own family. “I had to leave the EOC to come and get my family to leave this area. We’re heading south,” he said in a video posted early Saturday from his vehicle as traffic backed up around him.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show multiple homes burning as residents fled along roads with flames on both sides.

One homeowner, Kerry Gold, and her husband, Mike Elsinga, fled at about 12.30am after watching flames spread beyond nearby mountains.

“It’s scary. It’s moving fast,” Gold said.

The couple, who recently moved from the city of Vancouver, had packed bags, prepared a carrier for their cat and planned to help a disabled friend evacuate.

“You want to stay here and protect your home, but you also don’t want to get caught in it,” Elsinga said.