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Thousands evacuated as wildfires burn across western U.S. and Canada
🇺🇸 United States /Disasters & Emergencies

Thousands evacuated as wildfires burn across western U.S. and Canada

From PBS NewsHour · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Thousands have been evacuated in western U.S. and Canada due to rapidly spreading wildfires.
  • In British Columbia, over 20,000 residents fled communities around Okanagan Lake as fires destroyed homes and prompted air rescues.
  • In Washington state, crews are working near containment lines for three wildfires that have damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures.

Wildfires are raging across western parts of the United States and Canada, forcing thousands to evacuate and leaving many residents anxiously watching the flames. In British Columbia, Canada, over 20,000 people were compelled to flee their homes in communities along Okanagan Lake over the weekend. Fast-moving fires consumed residences, and dozens of people required rescue by aircraft.

I've been here 65 years. It's never happened. We didn't think about anything but grabbing our animals and leaving. But now it's affected so many of our friends and family around. So it's pretty dang devastating.

— Laurie AllenA resident describes her experience fleeing a wildfire near Spokane, Washington.

Residents described harrowing escapes. Anette Boulet recounted leaving Summerland, a town of about 12,000, as smoke obscured visibility and "the ridge of fire just coming towards you." She described the overwhelming "fear" during her evacuation. Sadly, an 80-year-old woman died while attempting to escape the fires in the Okanagan Lake region. The Bald Range fire alone led to the evacuation of approximately 8,000 people near Peachland, prompting British Columbia to declare a state of emergency.

In the U.S., firefighting crews in Washington state have been battling three wildfires in the Spokane area for over a week. While none of the fires are currently growing, they have damaged or destroyed about 920 structures. Residents like Laurie Allen, who fled her home in Nine Mile Falls, are returning to find their houses intact but covered in ash. Allen, a 65-year resident, expressed disbelief that such an event had occurred, noting its devastating impact on friends and family.

You couldn't see barely. It was, it was just dark, and the ridge, the ridge of fire just coming towards you.

— Anette BouletA resident describes the terrifying conditions while evacuating from Summerland, British Columbia.

Federal assistance has been approved for British Columbia to help provide shelter and accommodations for those displaced by the fires. Authorities arrested a man earlier in the week and charged him with intentionally starting the largest of the Spokane-area blazes. The situation remains critical as efforts continue to contain the widespread fires and support affected communities.

There's no words to express it. The fear.

— Anette BouletA resident expresses the emotional toll of fleeing the wildfires in British Columbia.
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Originally published by PBS NewsHour. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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