At least one person died in an explosive wildfire in British Columbia that prompted evacuation orders for roughly 20,000 people over the weekend, the authorities said on Sunday, as more than 100 blazes burned across the Canadian province.
The Bald Range fire had consumed more than 33,000 acres as of Sunday night, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service. The fire was out of control, and dozens of firefighters and other personnel were at the scene, the agency said.
The fire was first reported Friday near Summerland, a district about 260 miles by road east of Vancouver, according to the wildfire service. Its cause is under investigation.
An 80-year-old woman died on Friday while trying to evacuate from her home in Meadow Valley, near Summerland, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Penticton said in a statement Sunday.
The fire also knocked out power in Summerland, officials said on Saturday.
Evacuation orders issued by the authorities in Summerland and the districts of Peachland, Central Okanagan and Okanagan-Similkameen, as well as by the Penticton Indian Band, were in effect late Sunday.
A state of emergency remained in place across British Columbia early Monday, as 104 active wildfires burned throughout the province.
Weather conditions were expected to provide little relief for firefighters near Summerland on Monday. Environment Canada, the country’s weather service, said warm, smoky conditions and gusty winds were expected throughout the day, with thunderstorms also possible in parts of the Interior region.
An orange air-quality warning, indicating high impact from wildfire smoke, was also in effect for South Okanagan. Environment Canada warned that widespread and significant impacts from smoke would continue across the Central and Southern Interior, with no improvement expected on Monday.
The B.C. Wildfire Service also warned of a high potential for new wildfires caused by lightning, particularly in the Central Interior and Okanagan, where limited precipitation and dry lightning were possible.
