Canadian officials declared a state of emergency in British Columbia on Saturday, August 9th, 2026, after more than 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate due to fast-moving wildfires. The fires are part of a larger crisis, with 105 blazes currently burning across the province.

British Columbia Premier David Eby described the intensity of the main blaze by quoting a fire official who compared it to "a bomb going off." The fire produced flames on a 100-foot (30-meter) tree, with flames reaching 200 feet above that, and even created its own weather system that generated lightning.

The fire, first reported on Friday evening, grew rapidly overnight, spreading to about 9,500 hectares (23,500 acres) by Saturday. This prompted the evacuation of all 12,000 residents in the Summerland district. Some residents became trapped as conditions changed quickly and required rescue.

The province has experienced 70 new wildfires in the past week alone. According to British Columbia Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar, 105 wildfires are currently active. Across Canada, wildfires have scorched 4 million hectares in 2026, as reported by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.

Homes and properties have been lost due to the fires, and emergency crews continue to face significant challenges in managing the widespread blazes.

Sources