On June 30, 2021, smoke plumes rose from the Long Loch wildfire in British Columbia and the Derrickson Lake fire in British Columbia.Authorities in Canada said that about 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes as a result of fires that erupted amid an unprecedented heat wave.Premier John Horgan stated that British Columbia had experienced 62 new fires within the last 24 hours.Horgan stated, "I cannot stress enough the extreme fire risk at this time in nearly every part of British Columbia."Lytton is located 250 km (155 miles) northeast Vancouver. "The village has sustained structural damage, and 90% of the village is burnt, including the centre," Brad Vis, a local MP, said.On Wednesday night, 250 of the village's residents were evacuated from the village. This was just one day after it had set a Canadian record for high temperatures at 49.6 degrees Celsius (121 Fahrenheit)Wednesday night, the evacuation order was extended to approximately 100 properties north Lytton."The last 24hrs have been devastating for Lytton residents," Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan tweeted, adding that Canadian armed forces are "ready to support residents as they move forward in the next step."Authorities in provincial areas have yet to announce any deaths or injuries from the fires. Some of these fires were also located north of Lytton, 150 km northeast.On June 29, 2021, the wildfire at Sparks Lake can be seen in British Columbia.British Columbia's fire officials said that they were expecting another challenging day due to the unusually hot and dry conditions.Environment Canada stated in a bulletin for Prince George, BC that "an extraordinarily strong ridge of high tension over British Columbia will continue bringing record-breaking temperatures over he next couple days."It added that the heat wave's duration is worrying because there is not much relief at night due to high overnight temperatures.On Thursday, the heat wave moved eastward into central Canada's prairies.Heat wave warnings were issued in British Columbia as well as for parts of the Northwest Territories and northern Ontario.Western Canada has been experiencing record heat this week, and Oregon and Washington, both across the border, have seen their temperatures soar. Several hundred deaths have been reported.Further Explore Deadly heat wave strikes Canada, USA2021 AFP
