Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as fast-moving wildfires spread rapidly across southwestern Canada and the western US. In western Canada, more than 20,000 people living along Okanagan Lake in the province of British Columbia have fled their homes, with dozens having to be rescued by aircraft. The fast-moving Bald Range wildfire has burned nearly 34,000 acres and has been deemed “out of control” by the British Columbia Wildfire Service. In response, British Columbia has declared a state of emergency, allowing the provincial government to restrict travel and secure extra resources to coordinate rescue efforts. An 80-year-old woman is reported to have died while attempting to escape the Bald Range fire, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In the US, tens of thousands of Washington residents were allowed to return to their homes as firefighters continue to battle the hot spots of three wildfires burning in the Spokane area. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) has reported 183 wildfires burning across the US, including eight sizable new ones. According to the NIFC, fires are burning across Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, California, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Nevada, and only four have been fully contained. In Southern Oregon, the Wrights Spring Fire has burned over 30,000 acres since it started, causing the death of a first responder.
More than 20,000 people in southwest Canada and the western United States have fled their homes as wildfires, fueled by hot, dry weather, burn more than 3 million acres.
As of Sunday, the National Interagency Fire Center reported 183 wildfires burning across the United States, including eight large new ones. Firefighters worked to contain 94 of those blazes, the agency said.
The Wrights Spring Fire in southern Oregon has burned more than 30,000 acres since it started Aug. 5 and claimed the life of a first responder. Jason Ensign, 47, from Klamath Falls, Oregon, was operating a bulldozer to improve access to the fire when it unexpectedly grew. Rescue crews later found him dead.
As of Sunday, the fire remained uncontained. The fire and three others across Oregon forced evacuations.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek expressed condolences for Ensign’s family in a post on social media, saying his death was a "stark reminder" of the dangers first responders face.
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The Widemouth 2 Fire burns Aug. 3 in central Utah.
Western US
In northern Utah, one blaze, called the Rocky Canyon fire, has grown more than 4,000 acres since it ignited Friday. Residents living near the fire, about 30 miles northeast of Salt Lake City, received their evacuation orders Sunday. The fire was 0% contained as of 9 p.m. ET.
Two helicopter pilots died Friday while fighting a different inferno, the Widemouth 2 Fire, in southern Utah. That fire consumed 118,000 acres, the largest in the state so far this year, and was 26% contained as of Sunday.
In a news release announcing the deaths, the U.S. Forest Service said this year’s "an abnormally dry and warm winter" has led to a particularly intense fire season this summer.
Fires are burning in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, California, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Nevada, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Three wildfires near Spokane, Washington, consumed more than 16 square miles of land and forced more than 65,000 people to flee their homes as of Aug. 4.
A drone view Monday shows a neighborhood burned by the Old Trails Fire in Spokane, Wash.
Beyond the US
More than 20,000 people have been evacuated near Okanagan Lake in western Canada. The fast-moving Bald Range wildfire burned almost 34,000 acres so far and is considered "out of control" by the British Columbia Wildfire Service.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said on social media Sunday that a woman lost her life during the Bald Range wildfire evacuation.
British Columbia battled 103 active wildfires as of Sunday, with lightning storms expected to increase the risk of new ignitions, according to the wildfire service.
