A massive fire in the western Canadian province of British Columbia prompted authorities to issue more evacuation orders early Friday morning, as fire crews struggled to rush to move residents of the remote northern city of Yellowknife to safety away from the flames.
Part of the Kelowna bushfires today in Canada - source: Kyle Brittain via twitter
Authorities also declared a state of emergency early Friday morning in Kelowna, a 4-hour drive from Vancouver and a population of about 150,000.
Forest fires
Kelowna City Council Statement on wildfires in Canada
“We advise residents who are covered by the evacuation alert to be prepared to leave their homes at any moment,” the Kelowna city council said in a statement Friday, adding that they should be prepared to stay away from their homes for an extended period of time.
Kelowna is on fire. pic.twitter.com/bW5zLqHlsQ
— Kyle Brittain (@BadWeatherKyle) August 18, 2023
The evacuation orders were issued after fires discovered on Tuesday bypassed Lake Okanagan and ignited flash wildfires in Kelowna.
In Yellowknife, the capital of the northwestern fiefdom, fire crews and water spray aeroplanes are trying to save the megacity of about 20,000 people from massive backfires that urged an evacuation order for all residers.About 10 evacuation planes carried about 1,500 people out of the city on Thursday, 22 evacuation flights were due to take off on Friday and dozens of people left by land, authorities said.
