By Nivedita Balu
TORONTO, Aug 10 (Reuters) – An 80-year-old woman died in the fast-moving Bald Range wildfire in British Columbia’s wine country, Canadian police said, after the blaze nearly doubled in size over the weekend and forced the evacuation of people in the area.
The death was the first reported as a result of the wildfire in the region, which has been shrouded in smoke and fire as hot and dry conditions increased the scale of the blaze.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement late on Sunday that the Meadow Valley resident was evacuating her home with a family member when she reportedly died suddenly. Police believe her death to be a result of the wildfire and are investigating, the statement said.
Nearby Summerland, a district municipality with about 12,000 people, has a significant senior population that was evacuated over the weekend. The senior people’s homes were given advance notice, Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said.
LARGEST EVACUATION
Canada has experienced a hot summer this year, sparking fires in remote forests and other regions, leading to more than 4,600 fires burning 4 million hectares of land.
Officials said the Bald Range wildfire triggered the largest evacuation event in British Columbia so far this summer. More than 20,000 people across the province have been forced to leave their homes.
The United States is also grappling with wildfires. Evacuees forced to flee a cluster of fires near Spokane, Washington, were allowed back to their homes on Sunday. At the height of the conflagration, as many as 64,000 residents were under evacuation orders.
The BC Wildfire Service said on Monday it expects lightning to start new wildfires in the Okanagan region, which has been receiving limited rain. High temperatures and heightened wind gusts will continue in the Okanagan and southeastern regions of B.C., which can increase fires, the agency said. The Bald Range fire has now spread over 13,600 hectares (33,606 acres) since it was discovered on Friday.
(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and David Holmes)
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