Canadian officials on Saturday declared a state of emergency in British Columbia after more than 20,000 people were ordered to flee a fast-moving wildfire.
Describing the intensity of the blaze, British Columbia Premier David Eby said a fire official compared it to "a bomb going off."
"He described flames on a 100-foot (30-meter) tree, flames going 200 feet above that, and the fire creating its own weather system, which creates lightning," Eby said.
"Homes have been lost, and properties have been destroyed. Some people became trapped as conditions changed very quickly, and needed to be rescued," he added.
Wildfire in British Columbia nearly doubles in size overnight
