In a dramatic turn of events, a ferocious wildfire described as exploding “like a bomb” has compelled tens of thousands of Canadians to flee their homes.
As the Bald Range fire wreaked havoc, aircraft were called in to rescue dozens of residents, while countless others faced gridlocked roads in a desperate bid to outrun the inferno.
Since it ignited on Friday, the blaze has scorched an area spanning at least 53 square miles across British Columbia.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the fire has doubled in size, now threatening the communities of Summerland, Peachland, and additional regions within the province.
In response to the escalating crisis, Premier David Eby declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the province grappled with over 100 wildfires blazing across the area.
He described the Bald Range blaze as ‘like a bomb going off in the Summerland region’ which tore across 2,000 acres in roughly an hour.
The fire created its own weather system sparking lightning strikes and sending flames up to 200 feet high.
Officials said the blaze began around 5.30pm on Friday but have yet to determine its cause.
Tens of thousands of Canadians were forced to evacuate their homes amid a blazing wildfire
The blaze has ravaged at least 53 square miles across British Columbia since it erupted Friday. Smoke can be seen rising above a residential area in Summerland
Greg Krauter, who was forced to evacuate his Summerland, BC, property with his seven goats due to the Bald Range wildfire
All 12,000 residents of Summerland and another 8,000 people in and around Peachland were ordered to evacuate. The communities are about 250 miles east of Vancouver.
Eby’s office said there had been ‘significant structure loss’ but said officials had not assessed the damage because the area remained an active fire zone.
‘Conditions are extremely dangerous and changing minute by minute,’ Eby said. ‘The fires are moving incredibly quickly.’
The premier added that some residents had become trapped as the fire grew and that search-and-rescue crews continued searching for others who may have been caught in its path.
BC Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said more than 50 people were rescued by 18 aircraft.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also said they were investigating a possible wildfire-related death near Summerland but were unable to confirm a fatality because of the dangerous conditions.
The BC Wildfire Service said on Sunday morning that the blaze was showing signs of possibly rank six behavior which is the highest level a fire can reach.
Erick Thompson, an emergency official with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, had been providing updates on the fire from an emergency operations center before he was forced to evacuate his own family.
Premier David Eby said spread by 2,000 acres in roughly an hour and created its own weather system. Eby said the Bald Range fire was ‘like a bomb going off in the Summerland region’
A state of emergency was declared as more than 100 other wildfires burned throughout the region. The Bald Range fire was pictured on Saturday raging on in Summerland
Firefighters can be seen battling the fire on Friday near Summerland, which is about 250 miles east of Vancouver
The devastating fire comes weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke that choked US cities in July.
‘We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their forests and brush,’ the president wrote on Truth Social.
The US is being ‘invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous and totally unacceptable,’ Trump added.
Fires that have been blazing in Canada’s Ontario province have caused massive plumes of smoke to blanket much of the eastern United States.
Those plumes reached major US cities, including Washington, DC, and New York City, on Thursday evening.
Trump has repeatedly sought to put pressure on Canada through tariffs during his second term.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the BC Wildfire Service, the RCMP, the BC Ministry of Forests, and Premier David Eby’s office for comment.