‘Total incinerated destruction’: Canada wildfire evacuees wonder if they still have homes

The Bald Range wildfire comes on the heels of another fire in the Okanagan, called Bradley Creek, which is believed to have destroyed more than 200 homes.

Officials said the Bradley Creek fire is now being held after “tireless work” by wildfire crews to contain it.

Drought conditions have also contributed to fires in the US state of Washington, just south of British Columbia, where more than 65,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

Devastating fires have also burned this summer in Spain and France as Europe grapples with drought and record high temperatures.

France has seen its worst fires in two decades, while officials in the Spanish capital Madrid say theirs are the worst the region has ever experienced.

Fires are part of the natural cycle of Canada’s vast boreal forest, but experts say climate change – particularly hotter and dryer weather – has made them more intense and frequent in the last decade. In 2023, the country saw its worst wildfire season in history in terms of the total area burned.