KELOWNA, British Columbia ¨C Forest fires in Canada¡¯s western province of British Columbia intensified further on Saturday, doubling the number of people under an evacuation order to 35,000 from a day earlier, as authorities warned of difficult days ahead.
The province declared a state of emergency on Friday to access temporary authoritative powers to tackle fire-related risks, as out-of-control fires ripped through interior British Columbia, destroying scores of properties and partially shutting down some sections of a key transit route between the Pacific coast and the rest of western Canada.
¡°The current situation is grim,¡± Premier Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday, saying some 35,000 people are under an evacuation order, and a further 30,000 were under evacuation alert.
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