Canadian government steps in as ‘out of control’ wildfires force thousands to flee

By Olivia Bowden
The Guardian
August 9, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Canada’s federal government has announced it will provide urgent assistance to British Columbia after an onslaught of unprecedented fast-moving wildfires that killed one person and forced about 22,000 people to flee their homes. A total of 102 wildfires were raging across the province on Sunday, of which nearly half were categorised as “out of control”. Of those fires, 78 ignited during the past week. The entire community of Summerland, about 30 miles (48km) south-west of the city of Kelowna and home to about 12,000 people, was evacuated overnight on Saturday, along with a further 8,000 people around nearby Peachland. About 10,000 others have been told to prepare to evacuate at a moment’s notice. …In a social media post on Sunday, Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s minister of emergency management and community resilience, said she had “approved a request for federal assistance from British Columbia to provide shelter and accommodations for people who have been forced to leave their homes”.

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