Canadian City of Kelowna Declares Fire Emergency
- Kelowna airspace closed to assist aerial firefighters
- Military aircraft sent to Yellowknife to evacuate hospitals
McDougall Creek wildfire northwest of Kelowna, British Columbia on August 17.
Photographer: BC Wildfire Service/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Record-breaking wildfires in Canada, which have already scorched an area larger than Greece, are heading toward key population centers, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in Kelowna, the largest city in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, an idyllic tourist region known for its vineyards, orchards and ski hills. Meanwhile, the entire population of the Northwest Territories capital of Yellowknife, about 22,000 people, continued to flee with an evacuation deadline set for 12 p.m. local time Friday.