The evacuation order was doubled compared to the day before due to the increasing fire risk. Even though the government declared a state of emergency on Friday (18/8).
“The current situation is gloomy,” Prime Minister Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday. Reuters.
He said about 35,000 people were under evacuation orders and another 30,000 were on evacuation alert. He also stressed the importance of housing for its citizens.
British Columbia has faced strong winds and dry lightning in recent days, as cold air masses interact with warm air that has built up over the summer. This situation intensifies existing forest fires and ignites new ones.
“We’re still in critical drought conditions and we’re still facing tough days ahead,” said Jerrad Schroeder, deputy director of the Kamloops Fire Centre.
An out-of-control fire in southern British Columbia spread more than 100 times in 24 hours on Friday. The fire is concentrated around Kelowna, a city about 300 kilometers east of Vancouver with a population of about 150,000.
The Trans-Canada Highway was closed near Chase, about 400 km northeast of Vancouver, as well as between Hope, 150 km east of Vancouver, and the village of Lytton.
The TransCanada is a major east-west highway used by thousands of motorists and land carriers heading to the Port of Vancouver.
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