British Columbia declares state of emergency over wildfires as roughly 20,000 evacuate

British Columbia declared a state of emergency Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire destroyed homes and forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate communities along Okanagan Lake in western Canada, with dozens of residents rescued by aircraft.

Premier David Eby issued the emergency declaration as more than 100 wildfires burned across the province, with nearly half considered out of control amid hot, windy conditions and a prolonged drought. 

Thousands of residents fled along congested roads as officials warned that rapidly worsening conditions could put additional communities at risk.

The town of Summerland, which has roughly 12,000 residents, was ordered evacuated overnight, along with about 8,000 residents in and around nearby Peachland.

Eby’s office said the fires had caused “significant structure loss,” but officials haven't been able to determine the full extent of the damage.