On Air Now

The Retro Coast

2:00pm - 3:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Stephanie Mills

Never Knew Love Like This Before

Download

Thousands evacuated as huge wildfire spreads in Canada

A fast-moving wildfire has swept through western Canada, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

A wildfire in Bald Range was burning out of control and had grown to about 9,500 hectares - roughly the size of 13,300 football pitches.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in the district of ‌Summerland, British Columbia, but this was subsequently widened to cover the entire province.

"Homes have ⁠been lost, and properties ‌have been destroyed," British Columbia's premier David ⁠Eby said.

"Some people became ‌trapped as conditions changed very quickly, and needed to be ⁠rescued. It ​remains a very ​dynamic and threatening ​situation."

Several regions ‌in Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, have battled blazes this year as hot, dry weather fuelled wildfires in dense forest areas.

Fires have ​burned through 3.9 million hectares of land in Canada this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest ‌Fire Centre.

Now, around 1,500 firefighters are deployed across British Columbia, with 39 evacuation orders and 49 alerts in place.

Read more:
British woman dies after wildfires in Spain

The district of Summerland said it lost power on ​Saturday due to the impact of the wildfire.

Residents have been told to boil water after a water treatment plant ‌was bypassed due to the wildfire threat, resulting in untreated water entering the system.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: Thousands evacuated as huge wildfire spreads in Canada

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today

More from Video

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Sunny intervals

    High: 19°C | Low: 13°C

  • Filey

    Sunny intervals

    High: 19°C | Low: 13°C

  • Whitby

    Sunny intervals

    High: 19°C | Low: 12°C

  • Bridlington

    Sunny intervals

    High: 19°C | Low: 13°C

  • Hornsea

    Sunny intervals

    High: 20°C | Low: 12°C

  • Driffield

    Sunny intervals

    High: 21°C | Low: 11°C

News