Foreign Desk: A state of emergency has been declared due to wildfires in the western Canadian province of British Columbia. The fire is spreading fast. This threatens to damage more homes in the area around West Kelowna.
British Columbia Premier David Abbey warned that the situation was rapidly deteriorating and that the days ahead were very challenging. The McDougall Creek fire has spread over 6,800 hectares in the past 24 hours. About 4,500 people have been ordered to leave.
Already, nearly 22,000 people have been displaced by wildfires in Canada’s northwest. Meanwhile, the Canadian government said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would convene an emergency committee, known as the Incident Response Group, to discuss the fires.
For the past few months, many areas of the country have been affected by fire. Authorities urged Yellowknife’s roughly 20,000 residents to leave the town by Friday (18 August). People are also being removed from the surrounding areas.
“I already have asthma,” said Tiffany Champagne, waiting for a flight at Yellowknife Airport. But the smoke from the forest fires has made the situation worse.
Meanwhile, airport authorities have warned residents to reach at least two hours before the flight. Because the number of passengers has already increased.