More than 20,000 residents evacuated as powerful wildfire sweeps through Canada, killing an 80-year-old woman

More than 20,000 people have been forced to leave their homes because of a major wildfire advancing rapidly through the province of British Columbia in western Canada. Authorities have declared a state of emergency and warned that the situation could worsen.

The Canadian Armed Forces announced on Sunday that an 80-year-old woman had died while trying to flee her home.

The fire, which authorities have named “Bald Range,” broke out on Friday afternoon near Okanagan Lake, in southern British Columbia. The flames’ rapid advance put populated areas at risk and forced thousands of families to evacuate.

Among those ordered to leave in the early hours of the morning was the Goodman family, residents of the Pittsland community.

Larry and Maura Goodman said that authorities woke them at around 3:00 a.m. and told them to leave their home immediately. Together with their neighbors, they formed a convoy of vehicles and headed toward West Kelowna in search of a safer place.

In an interview with AFP, Maura Goodman explained that many of their neighbors were elderly and were afraid to drive at night.

After making sure that everyone had packed the essentials into their cars, Larry Goodman placed a lamp at the front of the vehicle so they would have better visibility on the road.

According to Larry Goodman, their timely departure was largely a matter of luck. The family still has no information about whether their home and community escaped the fire or were engulfed by the flames.

Rob Henson, a member of the Salvation Army in West Kelowna, said the consequences of the fire had affected people from different sections of society.

He said assistance was also being provided to migrants who had been forcibly evacuated from the farms where they worked and were left without clothing or other belongings.

Because of the dry conditions in the region, authorities have warned that the situation could deteriorate further. The province of British Columbia has appealed to the federal government for support in providing temporary accommodation for evacuees.

This year’s wildfire season in Canada ranks among the most destructive ever recorded. Rising temperatures and increasingly severe drought are being accompanied by major fires that have placed authorities’ ability to manage them under pressure.

The latest federal government data show that more than 40 million hectares of land have burned since the beginning of the year, the vast majority of it forested area.

The exceptionally high number of fires has created further difficulties for Canada. As a result, authorities are allocating a considerable share of their resources to protect populated areas and evacuate people from high-risk zones.

During the wildfire season, tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated from their homes, while smoke clouds have significantly damaged air quality even in major cities, including Toronto.

The government in Ottawa is seeking to adapt to these conditions by expanding its fleet of firefighting aircraft and promoting more active forest management.

Despite these measures, evacuees continue to face great uncertainty. Rob Henson said people do not know what awaits them, want to return to the lives they had before and are struggling to cope with the situation.