Canadian government orders evacuation of Osoyoos after wildfire crosses US border

The Canadian government has ordered the evacuation of the population of the town of Osoyoos, in the province of British Columbia. The note was issued on Sunday evening (30) after a wildfire grew out of control and crossed the Canadian border with the US state of Washington.

The wildfire, which Canadian officials have dubbed Eagle Bluff, is about 4 kilometers from Osoyoos. According to the Osoyoos Economic Development website, the Canadian town has a population of approximately 6,700.

The fire is estimated at 885 hectares on the Canadian side of the border, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service (BCWS).

The BCWS estimated the blaze spanned about 2,000 hectares on the US side of the border.

A wildfire has crossed the border between Canada and the United States (Photo: REUTERS/Jesse Winter)

“There are personnel from the initial strike team, several individual assets, two helicopters, structure protection personnel and heavy equipment responding to the incident,” the BCWS said last Sunday.

Evacuation orders cover areas north of the Canada-U.S. border to the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 3, as well as north along Highway 3.

Feature photo: Wildfire in Canada. Reading/BC Wildfire Service/Reuters

Bonnie Garza

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