Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Authorities in western Canada announced Sunday that a woman died while evacuating her home as several wildfires tear through southern British Columbia, where a state of emergency was declared over the weekend and thousands have been forced to evacuate.
The Bald Range fire, raging south of Kelowna, is one of more than 100 blazes burning in the province, mostly in the south, according to provincial information, which shows 46 were labeled out of control. Nearly four dozen evacuation orders and 51 alerts have been issued.
At 13,618 hectares, the Bald Range fire was among the largest and was labeled "out of control," meaning officials expect it to spread, as of early Monday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed Sunday the death of an 80-year-old woman who suddenly died while attempting to flee her Meadow Valley home with a member of her family because of the fast-moving fire.
Though the B.C. Coroners Service will be conducting an investigation to confirm the nature of the woman's death, "police believe her death to be a result of the wildfire," the RCMP said in a statement.
