Wildfires Force 100,000 Evacuations in Western U.S. and Canada

Wildfires tearing across the western United States and Canada have forced more than 100,000 people from their homes, killed at least four people, and destroyed hundreds of structures as wind-driven blazes burn out of control amid severe drought and extreme heat. The most severe emergency unfolded in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, where the fast-growing Bald Range fire prompted the entire evacuation of Summerland and killed an elderly resident, while firefighters in eastern Washington neared containment on fires that had already leveled hundreds of homes near Spokane.

The Bald Range fire ignited about 15 kilometers from Summerland shortly after 5 p.m. Friday and exploded overnight, forcing a chaotic, predawn exodus that swept up the entire district, home to roughly 12,000 people, along with about 8,000 more residents around Peachland. By Sunday, the fire had grown from 103 to 136 square kilometers, or roughly 33,600 acres. British Columbia Premier David Eby declared a provincewide state of emergency as the tally of active wildfires provincewide climbed past 100, with nearly half burning out of control. Penticton RCMP confirmed Sunday evening that an 80-year-old...