LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Canadian wildfires have forced more than 20,000 people to flee the south-central part of British Columbia. At least one person has died. Dan Karpenchuk reports.
DAN KARPENCHUK, BYLINE: For the most part, fire crews had been holding their own, but after 70 new fires burst into life in the past week, new evacuation orders and alerts were issued, as well as a declaration of a state of emergency from British Columbia Premier David Eby.
DAVID EBY: Right now our full focus is saving lives and supporting rescue efforts.
KARPENCHUK: He says conditions in the Okanagan Valley are extremely dangerous and changing by the minute, as the wildfires are moving incredibly quickly.
EBY: Air evacuations are underway for people cut off by the fire. Emergency teams continue to work and will work around the clock. We are coordinating resources across government and stay in constant contact with incident commanders and local government leaders. I have also been in contact with the prime minister, who has pledged his full support.
KARPENCHUK: The Bald Range wildfire swept through the Okanagan Valley Friday night, forcing 20,000 people from their homes. The community of Summerland was evacuated that night, sending 12,000 residents towards the city of Penticton further south. Julius Bloomfield, the mayor of Penticton, says the emergency declaration will allow his city to offer help, but not without a strain on resources.
JULIUS BLOOMFIELD: We've had 10,000 people move in from Summerland overnight, and it was a very, very fast-moving situation, and, you know, it obviously puts a big strain on facilities in Penticton in our busiest weekend of the season.
KARPENCHUK: But Bloomfield says his community rose to the challenge, providing food, shelter and aid to those fleeing. Penticton itself has been told to prepare for an evacuation alert if the wildfire heads its way. Taylor Colman of the BC Wildfire Service provides a picture of what fire crews are up against.
TAYLOR COLMAN: Those fires are burning deep underground, becoming difficult to extinguish and they're burning very hot. They're engulfing entire trees, not just smoldering along the ground. The fire behavior is Rank 5, which is extremely aggressive and volatile.
KARPENCHUK: Many of those fleeing only had time to gather a few possessions, and many like John Middleton (ph), whose daughter was caught in the Bald Range Fire zone, say the situation changed so quickly.
JOHN MIDDLETON: Flames all over. She got some burns on her face, and they barely got out. It was crazy.
KARPENCHUK: Declaring a state of emergency allows the province to impose travel restrictions, bring in essential supplies, streamline coordination between federal and provincial authorities, direct emergency personnel and commandeer accommodations. Officials say homes and properties have been lost. How many is too early to tell.
For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk.
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