Canada Puts Military on Standby as BC Wildfires Kill 1 and Displace 20,000
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 10
Canada Puts Military on Standby as BC Wildfires Kill 1 and Displace 20,000
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 10
Summary
About 20,000 people have fled British Columbia wildfires and an 80-year-old woman died escaping the blaze near Summerland, prompting Ottawa to place the military on standby for possible deployment.
The Bald Range wildfire near Okanagan Lake expanded to 60 square miles from 53 a day earlier, with drought, heat and smoke limiting aircraft use and making officials say even more helicopters would not have stopped it.
Summerland, Peachland and nearby areas still had about 10,000 homes under evacuation orders and more than 3,200 under alerts, while local officials said it was too dangerous to assess the full extent of destruction.
Federal officials have already approved shelter and accommodation aid, but residents face no timetable for returning because downed power lines and damaged buildings must be checked neighborhood by neighborhood.
The crisis adds to Canada’s run of increasingly destructive wildfire seasons, while separate fires in Washington and California have also forced evacuations across the region.