The fire started last Saturday in the hills of Lake Okanagan Thanks to the prompt evacuation have not been reported killed or wounded The cause is still unclear but the two outbreaks did not appear related
Groups of firefighters have battled Sunday to contain the two fires razed in western Canada, forcing thousands of residents from one community to leave their homes.
The flames, which spread quickly on Saturday, have destroyed at least nine buildings in residential areas in the hills near Lake Okanagan, west of the town of Kelowna, British Columbia, local officials said.
There have been no reported deaths or injuries.
An estimated 17,000 people were ordered to evacuate and hundreds of other residents were warned to be alert to leave their homes if the flames continue to spread.
The largest fire has already consumed at least 500 hectares, and none of the outbreaks were under control, according to officials.
Kelowna newspaper reported on Sunday that officials were concerned that the fire could cut an electricity transmission line key, which could force more evacuations in an area of about 32,000 residents west of the city.
The police indicated that the cause of the fire was unclear, but a fire service officer in the area said that he did not believe that the two outbreaks were related.
The flames produced an orange glow in the night sky, with residents who were awakened in the morning in a valley full of smoke, according to a Reuters photographer in the area.
Officials said the winds pushed the flames through the dry landscape, something that put at risk the work of ground staff to combat the flames.
Unloading helicopters fire retardant and water to support more than 200 firefighters in the field, and more emergency personnel are prepared to go to the area, officials told reporters Kelowna.
Source: The World
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