People float on the Channel Pathway that connects Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake as smoke from wildfires burning in the region fills the air, in Penticton, British Columbia, Monday, Aug. 10. AP-Yonhap
WEST KELOWNA, British Columbia — A deadly wildfire in western Canada that has forced some 20,000 people to flee grew overnight even without strong winds, challenging efforts to contain it and fully assess the damage, authorities said Tuesday.
One hundred firefighters from Mexico have joined the effort, bringing the number of firefighters battling the blaze to 193. The fire has destroyed homes and other properties near Okanagan Lake, killed an 80-year-old woman and burned toward Summerland, a community of about 12,000 people roughly 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Vancouver.
The fire showed “quite significant growth” in some areas overnight even without strong winds, said Cliff Chapman, director of provincial operations for the British Columbia Wildfire Service. He added crews were working around the clock to establish control lines and make it safe for evacuated residents to return home.
“We recognized and we heard even last night that people obviously would like to go home. They would like to see the extent of the damage,” Chapman said.
