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Thousands leave homes to escape Canadian firestorm

Thousands have fled forest fires raging out of control in the Rocky Mountains of western Canada, officials and reports said.

Canada is seeing its worst fire season in decades, with close to 400 fires burning in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Averse weather conditions -- high temperatures and gusting winds -- look set to continue.

Premier Gordon Campbell declared a province-wide state of emergency in hardest-hit British Columbia Saturday. At the time 353 active fires were burning on some 38,000 hectares, his government said in a statement.

"Our hearts go out to the thousands of local residents who have been forced to evacuate their homes and communities while they wait to learn the true extent of how these fires will ultimately affect their families, friends and neighbors," Campbell said in a statement.

The tally included 25 new fires started in the past 24 hours, the statement said.

Major fires in British Columbia were in the region of Kamloops, roughly 300km northeast of Vancouver, and Chilko Lake, about 300km to the north.

"Smoke from the Chilko Lake fire can now be smelled and seen 300km away," the statement said.

About 8,500 people were forced to evacuate their homes in and around Kamloops, a city of 77,000, reports said.

Fire destroyed 60 homes in the town of Barriere, north of Kamloops, Friday.

A 53-year-old man from Barriere was taken to hospital in Vancouver Saturday with burns to his face and upper body, after his clothes caught fire while he helped a neighbor hose down his house, the Globe and Mail reported.

Another 1,000 people were ordered out of the town of Hillcrest in southwestern Alberta. Some 2,700 residents of nearby Blairmore were told to be ready to flee with one hour's notice, as fire raged within 3km of their community.
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