Current:Home > MarketsAbout 30,000 people ordered to evacuate as wildfires rage in Canada's British Columbia -Aspire Money Growth
About 30,000 people ordered to evacuate as wildfires rage in Canada's British Columbia
View
Date:2025-04-16 00:39:52
Around 30,000 people were under orders Saturday to evacuate their homes in western Canada's British Columbia, provincial officials said, as a raging wildfire bore down on the city of Kelowna.
"The situation is highly dynamic and the numbers are changing all the time, but as of now we are currently hovering at about 30,000 people on evacuation order and an additional 36,000 people on evacuation alert," said Bowinn Ma, British Columbia's minister of emergency management and climate readiness.
On Thursday air evacuations began to move residents in the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories out of the path of wildfires that neared the city of 20,000 people.
People in the four areas of Yellowknife at highest risk should leave as soon as possible and residents in other areas have until noon Friday to leave, the Northwest Territories government said on Thursday.
Half of the population in the Northwest Territories has been already displaced by the fires, BBC News reported, citing a Friday federal update. Thousands of people have fled fires, driving hundreds of miles to safety or waiting in long lines for emergency flights, as the worst fire season on record in Canada showed no signs of easing.
Canada has seen a record number of wildfires this year — contributing to choking smoke in parts of the U.S. — with more than 5,700 fires burning more than 137,000 square kilometers (53,000 square miles) from one end of Canada to the other, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
- In:
- Wildfire
- Canada
veryGood! (4)
Related
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- TikToker Taylor Rousseau Grigg Shared Heartbreaking Birthday Message One Month Before Her Death
- 'We're just exhausted': The battered and storm-weary prepare for landfall. Again.
- Derek Carr injury: How long will Saints quarterback be out after oblique injury?
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- Grazer beats the behemoth that killed her cub to win Alaska’s Fat Bear Contest
- As FEMA prepares for Hurricane Milton, it battles rumors surrounding Helene recovery
- NCAA cracking down on weapon gestures toward opponents in college football
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Autopsy reveals cause of death for pregnant teen found slain in Georgia woods this summer
Ranking
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- TikTok Influencer Stuck on Disney Cruise During Hurricane Milton
- Boxer Ryan Garcia gets vandalism charge dismissed and lecture from judge
- Some East Palestine derailment settlement payments should go out even during appeal of the deal
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Critical locked gate overlooked in investigation of Maui fire evacuation
- Florida Panthers raise Stanley Cup banner, down Boston Bruins in opener
- Video shows nearly 100 raccoons swarm woman's yard, prompting 911 call in Washington
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Robert Saleh was reportedly 'blindsided' by being fired as Jets head coach
Tennessee nurse and his dog die trying to save man from Hurricane Helene floods
Ryan Seacrest Reveals His Workouts and Diet Changes to Feel 29 Again
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
As FEMA prepares for Hurricane Milton, it battles rumors surrounding Helene recovery
Boxer Ryan Garcia gets vandalism charge dismissed and lecture from judge
Dream Builder Wealth Society: A Blueprint for Future Wealth