Canada: Giant wildfire forces tens of thousands to flee their homes

More than 20,000 residents in western Canada were ordered to evacuate on Friday after a giant wildfire spread at a dizzying speed, threatening towns along Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. The flames consumed numerous homes in their path, and authorities have yet to determine the exact extent of the damage.

The entire community of Summerland, numbering about 12,000 residents, was fully evacuated, along with approximately 8,000 other residents from the nearby town of Peachland and its surroundings. The 'Bald Range' fire was first reported on Friday and spread to about 50 square kilometers within a few hours, covering a distance of about 15 kilometers toward Summerland at an extraordinary speed.

Eric Thompson, an emergency official from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, described the fire as one of the "fastest and most rapidly spreading wildfires" the region has ever experienced. Thompson was eventually forced to abandon the operations center and evacuate his own family, as he described in a video he posted earlier today from inside his vehicle while stuck in traffic.

In recent years, Canada has been dealing with increasingly destructive wildfire seasons, which have forced mass evacuations and repeatedly sent heavy smoke across vast areas in Canada and the United States. Videos posted on social media showed many homes engulfed in flames, while residents fled on roads surrounded by fire on both sides.

Carrie Gold and her husband Mike Elsinga, homeowners in the area, fled around 12:30 AM after watching the flames spread over the nearby mountains.

"It's scary. It's moving fast," Gold said.

The couple, who recently moved from Vancouver, packed their bags, prepared a carrier for their cat, and planned to help a disabled friend evacuate.

"You want to stay here and protect your home, but you also don't want to get caught in it," Elsinga added.