2023-08-20 16:02:48
With the very rapid progression of the flames, two large fires have merged in British Columbia, in western Canada, local authorities announced on Sunday, while thousands of residents continue to evacuate the area.
The inferno resulting from this merger, located in the Shuswap region 500 km northeast of Vancouver, now extends over more than 41.000 hectares, according to British Columbia firefighters. “Fire soldiers are working to stop the progression of flames towards structures in areas where they continue to actively advance through woods and grasslands,” they said on X (ex-Twitter). The north winds favored the spread of these fires who destroyed several buildings in this tourist area.
“It’s a matter of life and death for the people on these properties.”
Throughout the province, in a state of emergency, regarding 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate and another 36,000 are on high alert and ready to flee, local authorities said. The city of Kelowna, regarding 150,000 inhabitants, 150 km south of Shuswap, where thousands of people had to evacuate, is still suffocated by thick smoke. “We stress the absolute importance of immediately following evacuation orders,” said Bowinn Ma, emergency manager for the province of British Columbia, Saturday evening. “It’s a matter of life and death for the people who are in these properties, but also for the relief workers who are sometimes forced to come back and ask people to leave.”
The north also affected
The fires are also affecting northern Canada, including the capital of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, where nearly all of the 20,000 residents had to evacuate.
After some respite on Saturday, thanks to the rains of the previous night which caused a sharp drop in temperatures, they are expected to rise once more on Sunday according to the authorities.
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