A fast-moving wildfire in British Columbia's Okanagan has claimed a life, as the RCMP confirmed that one person has died from the Bald Range fire. Police say an 80-year-old woman died while trying to flee her home on Friday, one of thousands of residents who had been told to evacuate as the blaze bore down on their community, and investigators believe her death was a direct result of the wildfire.
The fire has behaved with alarming speed since it ignited. Burning northeast of Penticton, the Bald Range fire has grown by 30 percent since Saturday, reaching 136 square kilometres, after nearly doubling in size overnight on Friday shortly after it started. Stunning video captured people fleeing in the dark of night from the glow of the raging fire, with witnesses describing explosions and a roar louder than anything they had heard.
The threat prompted the whole community of Summerland to flee. Some 12,000 people were ordered to leave their homes, along with thousands more from the surrounding area, including Peachland, with most of those evacuees heading south. Residents spoke of an entire municipality forced out at once, with one describing the strange experience of seeing their whole community transplanted into another town.
For those who have been displaced, the most pressing question is when they can return, and there is no clear answer. The mayor said it is too soon to say, explaining that officials have to make sure the town is safe first. Power lines are down and the water is contaminated, all of which has to be assessed and sorted out before anyone can go back.
The full extent of the damage is still coming into focus. The mayor said homes and structures have been lost in the flames, but it is not yet clear how many. Heavy smoke hanging over the area has helped keep temperatures down, but it has come with a serious trade-off, causing significant challenges for crews trying to make full use of their aerial fleets and firefighting resources.
The crisis extends well beyond a single fire. Across the province, about 100 wildfires are active, and nearly 22,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes. British Columbia's premier has declared a provincewide state of emergency in response, and Ottawa has since approved funding to help provide shelter for the growing number of evacuees now waiting to learn the fate of their homes.