Fast-moving Canada wildfire doubles in size forcing thousands to flee homes

Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as a fast-moving wildfire in a remote part of western Canada spread rapidly, doubling in size since it was first detected on Friday.

The Bald Range fire now occupies more than 36 sq miles (95 sq km) across the Summerland and Okanagan-Similkameen districts of British Columbia, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Erick Thompson, an emergency official with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, said this was one of the "quickest-moving, largest fires in such a short time" he had seen in the fire-prone region.

The fire remained "out of control" as of Saturday morning.

As the fire approached, Summerland's entire population of around 12,000 people was ordered to evacuate, along with about 8,000 residents of neighbouring Peachland. Power was also lost across Summerland, city officials said early Saturday.

On Friday evening, Thompson had been giving updates on the rapidly-spreading fire from the emergency operations centre. But in a video posted from his car the next morning, he said he had left the centre to evacuate his own family.

"I had to leave the EOC to come and get my family to leave this area. We're heading south," he said.

It was not yet clear how many structures had been destroyed in the blaze.

Okanagan also has a lot of horses that residents have been struggling to evacuate.

Those unable to rescue their animals left their gates open in the hope the animals would find their own way to safety, local residents told Canadian broadcaster CBC.

Some owners also painted markings on their animals to make them easier to identify later, CBC reported.