Fire danger continued in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada over the weekend, posing challenging conditions for crews battling to keep destructive blazes from spreading across the region with at least four fire-related deaths reported.
In British Columbia, Canada, fast-moving flames burning along Okanagan Lake forced more than 20,000 people to flee their homes with dozens of people rescued by aircraft.
In the US, firefighting crews are continuing to make progress containing a complex of three fires near Spokane, Washington, which burned more than 10,000 acres of land and destroyed hundreds of homes and structures since last week. The state has been grappling with multiple fires that have burned more than 500,000 acres.
Meanwhile, authorities have remained concerned about fires spilling across states, as the wind-driven Bug Fire burned more than 11,000 acres north of Reno, near the California border, prompting evacuations. The fire was 20% contained as of Sunday evening, the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District said.
A total of 105 wildfires were raging across British Columbia on Sunday, 51 of which were classified as “out of control,” the BC Wildfire Service said, warning that conditions remain “extremely dry” and pose a significant fire threat.
