State of Emergency Declared in British Columbia as Wildfires Burn Uncontrollably

B.C. wildfires burning uncontrollably fulled by hot, dry weather, thunderstorms

Lightning sparked about 140 wildfires across the western Canadian province of British Columbia prompting the evacuation of an entire town and hundreds more homes throughout the region, forcing the closure of at least one airport (Cariboo Regional District) and the hospital in the town of Ashcroft, said a report.

“​The extended weather forecast is calling for continued hot, dry weather, with risks of thunderstorms in many parts of the province,” officials said in a statement.

One of the largest fires near Ashcroft, about 120 km west of Kamloops, exploded from 50 hectares to more than 4,000 hectares on Friday.

Near 100 Mile House, about 100 km southeast of Williams Lake, a 1,800-hectare blaze has forced up to 4,000 people to flee their homes.

More…