Wildfires Keep Tens of Thousands Evacuated Across Western Canada and US, With 100 Fires Burning in BC
Updated
Updated · Newsweek · Aug 10
Wildfires Keep Tens of Thousands Evacuated Across Western Canada and US, With 100 Fires Burning in BC
3 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Aug 10
Summary
More than 20,000 people in British Columbia and 65,000 in the Spokane area remain under evacuation orders as major fires continue to burn, after an 80-year-old woman died fleeing the Okanagan blaze.
Hot, dry weather, drought and shifting winds drove rapid growth in British Columbia’s Bald Range Fire, prompting a province-wide emergency as officials reported homes destroyed and warned fire behavior could change quickly.
In eastern Washington, the three-fire Spokane complex had burned more than 10,200 acres and damaged or destroyed about 921 structures, though containment improved to 61% on Autumn Lane and 43% on Old Trails and Fairview.
Smoke from fires in Canada and the northwestern United States also pushed air-quality alerts across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming, with some areas reaching 'Very Unhealthy' conditions.