Wildfires in Canada: A state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia

Many homes and apartments in the west Kelowna area of ​​Okanagan Lake, popular with tourists, were destroyed by fire earlier. The city has a population of 36,000. A state of emergency was already in force in the town itself.

Across the lake, the city of Kelowna, home to nearly 150,000 people, was also affected by the fire. Officials said the fire is expected to continue to spread.

Across the province, 15,000 people have been asked to leave their homes. More than 20,000 people have been warned to evacuate. Wildfires are also spreading in Canada’s neighboring Northwest Territories.

In June, huge plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted across the North Atlantic to Europe.

Approaching wildfires have forced most residents of Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, to evacuate. Firefighters struggled to open the only way out of town. Emergency services escorted a convoy of vehicles through the fire areas.

The capital was nearly empty on Friday, with only a grocery store and pharmacy still open, Canadian news agency CP reported — and a bar with a pint at the end of the world.

Northwest winds combined with light rain hampered efforts to contain the blaze, which could reach city limits by the end of the week, firefighters said. The fire was about 15 kilometers from the city limits, fire department spokesman Mike Westwick said Friday evening.

The fire, which was sparked by lightning a month ago, has spread over an area of ​​about 1,670 square kilometres. The fire “isn’t going away anytime soon,” Westwick said. He has already crossed three different control lines.

Many parts of Canada have been battling wildfires for months. Forest fires are an annual occurrence in many parts of Canada that often require people to evacuate. However, this year was the worst wildfire season in the nation’s history.

375,000 hectares of forest have already been destroyed in spring fires on Canada’s west coast.