Thousands of residents in British Columbia asked to evacuate after wildfires rapidly intensified

In Canada, thousands of residents in British Columbia have been asked to evacuate after wildfires rapidly intensified. On Friday, the western Canadian province declared a state of emergency after an out-of-control fire in southern British Columbia almost doubled in 24 hours. More than 2,400 properties were forced to be evacuated, by Friday. 

The fire was centered around Kelowna, a city around 300 kilometres east of Vancouver. The town has a population of about 150,000. The province currently accounts for over a third of Canada's 1,062 active fires.

The flames have already destroyed



several structures. Authorities have been warning that the province could potentially face the worst couple of days of the fire season this year. Due to cold mass of air interacting with hot air built-up in the sultry summer, strong winds and dry lightning occurred in the past 36 hours. 

The development intensified existing forest fires in the province and also ignited fresh ones. Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada, but the spread of blazes and disruption to life and land underscores the severity of its worst wildfire season on record this year.