Wildfires in Canadian province intensify

KELOWNA, Canada — Forest fires in Canada's western province of British Columbia intensified on Saturday, with the number of people under evacuation orders doubling from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead.

The province declared a state of emergency on Friday as out-of-control fires ripped through interior British Columbia, partially shutting some sections of a key highway between the Pacific coast and the rest of western Canada, and destroying many properties.

"The current situation is grim," Premier Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday, saying some 35,000 people were under an evacuation order, and a further 30,000 were under an evacuation alert.

Eby said the province was in dire need of shelter for evacuees and firefighters and ordered a ban on nonessential travel to make more temporary accommodation available. Officials also urged residents to avoid operating drones in the fire zone, saying it could impede firefighting efforts.

The fire is centered around Kelowna, a city some 300 kilometers east of Vancouver, with a population of about 150,000.

Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada, but the spread of blazes and disruption underscores the severity of its worst wildfire season yet.

"We are still in some critically dry conditions, and are still expecting difficult days ahead," said Jerrad Schroeder, deputy fire center manager at the Kamloops Fire Centre.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting of key ministers and senior officials on Saturday to discuss wildfires. The Incident Response Group, which met for the second time in a week, agreed to make "additional resources available" to both British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

On the Spanish island of Tenerife, a wildfire that has forced thousands of people to flee their homes was spreading and remained out of control late on Saturday, with hot, dry and windy weather hampering efforts to contain the blaze.

Emergency services said on Saturday the fire was affecting 10 towns, although 11 had been evacuated as a precaution. No major tourist areas had been affected.

Also on Saturday, Greek authorities evacuated eight villages near the northeastern border with Turkiye, where a large summer wildfire was burning out of control, whipped on by high winds.

The fire service said more than 130 firefighters, assisted by 14 water-dropping planes and three helicopters, were struggling to contain the blaze, and reinforcements were being sent from other parts of the country.

Agencies Via Xinhua