An 80-year-old woman died while fleeing her home to escape a massive wildfire in Canada\u2019s British Columbia province, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said late Sunday. <\/p>\n
The Summerland fire, which broke out on Friday near Okanagan Lake, has spread rapidly and forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate, while Canadian authorities have declared a state of emergency, AFP<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n The fire had covered more than 13,600 hectares (33,600 acres) by late Sunday and was considered out of control, according to the BC Wildfire Service.<\/p>\n The RCMP confirmed that \u201can 80-year-old woman has died as a result of the Summerland (Bald Range) wildfire.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman, who lived in Meadow Valley, \u201cwas attempting to leave her home, along with one member of her family, due to the wildfires<\/a> when she reportedly died suddenly,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n Police said no other fatalities were known to have been reported.<\/p>\n British Columbia Premier David Eby said he was \u201cdeeply saddened by the news.\u201d<\/p>\n Emergency responders had to airlift 50 people to safety on Saturday after the Summerland wildfire forced overnight evacuations, CTV News reported.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier expressed his gratitude to firefighters and first responders on X, thanking them for \u201cworking tirelessly to keep people safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal government stands ready to help and support the government of British Columbia in these efforts. I\u2019m keeping everyone forced from their homes in my thoughts and hoping they can return safely soon,\u201d Carney said.<\/p>\n The BC Wildfire Service reported more than 100 active wildfires across the province as of late Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are expecting a high potential for lightning-caused wildfire starts, particularly in the central Interior and the Okanagan which are receiving limited precipitation and dry lightning,\u201d the service said.<\/p>\n Researchers from the World Weather Attribution group earlier said human-induced climate change had doubled the likelihood of the extreme fire conditions behind this year\u2019s Canadian wildfires.<\/p>\n