Figure caption, 'It's going crazy': Eyewitnesses capture forest fires raging across British Columbia.
Um estado de emergência foi declarado depois que milhares de pessoas foram forçadas a fugir de suas casas quando um incêndio florestal em uma parte remota do oeste do Canadá se espalhou rapidamente, dobrando de tamanho desde que foi detectado pela primeira vez na sexta-feira.
O incêndio de Bald Range agora ocupa mais de 103 km ² em Summerland, Peachland e outros distritos da Colúmbia Britânica, de acordo com o BC Wildfire Service.
O primeiro-ministro da Colúmbia Britânica, David Eby, disse em entrevista coletiva no sábado que um bombeiro comparou o incêndio a "uma bomba explodindo.
As chamas eram tão altas que eles criaram seus próprios sistemas climáticos, o que cria relâmpagos, disse Eby.
Fonte da imagem, ReutersImage caption, Uma coluna de fumaça foi vista subindo sobre uma rua residencial em Summerland.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, The Bald Range wildfire burns, as seen from a vehicle, northwest of Summerland, British Columbia, Canada.
Homes have been lost, and properties have been destroyed. Some people became trapped as conditions changed very quickly, and needed to be rescued," the premier said.
A state of emergency allows the provincial government access to special powers including travel restrictions and supply protections to prevent price gouging, and extra resources to coordinate rescue work.
Summerland has a population of about 12,000 people, according to the 2021 census, and Peachland is home to about 6,500 residents.
The Bald Range wildfires triggered the largest evacuation event this summer and more than 20,000 people across British Columbia have evacuated their homes, officials say.
A lot of farms have been affected. We don't know how many structures have been lost. They're still busy fighting the fire," Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes told Reuters.
We have to brace ourselves for the worst.
Hundreds of residents living in Summerland care facilities, including senior housing, were being relocated to safer areas, according to Interior Health, a publicly funded health authority in BC.
It was not yet clear how many structures had been destroyed in the blaze.
The nearby districts of Okanagan, Peachland, and Okanagan-Similkameen also issued evacuation orders, as well as evacuation alerts in some areas.
In Okanagan, there are a lot of horses that residents have been struggling to evacuate, Canadian broadcaster CBC reported.
Those unable to relocate their animals left their gates open in the hope the animals would find their own way to safety, local residents told CBC.
Some owners also painted markings on their animals to make them easier to identify later, according to the outlet.
Hundreds of wildfires have raged across Canada this summer, with nearly 200 burning in Ontario in July, sending air quality in Toronto to one of the worst levels in the world for a few days.
Smoke from those Canadian wildfires drifted down into parts of the US, including Minnesota and New York, leading US President Donald Trump to threaten new tariffs on the US's northern neighbour.
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- O incêndio de Bald Range agora ocupa mais de 103 km ² em Summerland, Peachland e outros distritos da
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Informação baseada em material público de BBC World, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
