Wildfire destroys about 230 homes in western Canadian Indigenous community, officials say

A wildfire in western Canada has destroyed approximately 230 homes in an Indigenous community, marking one of the country's most devastating fires in recent years, according to officials. The Bradley Creek wildfire ravaged much of a reserve near Vernon, situated about 440 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. Dan Wilson, chief of the Okanagan Indian Band, described the destruction as "surreal" and one of the darkest days in his band's history.

The fire erupted late Friday, fueled by wind gusts reaching up to 115 kilometers per hour. "The fire spread so fast that some of our members only had five minutes to evacuate," Wilson stated. Aerial firefighting crews played a crucial role in saving critical infrastructure, including a daycare center and a recently constructed school, by repeatedly deploying water drops to the affected area.

Among those displaced by the fire were Louis and Shorty Fred, who managed to escape on Saturday as flames drew near. Notably, this blaze ranks among Canada's worst recent wildfires, with the 2024 Jasper, Alberta blaze claiming about 350 homes and the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire in British Columbia's Okanagan region destroying around 200 homes.

Canada has experienced increasingly destructive wildfire seasons in recent years, with smoke from these blazes often spreading across North America and triggering widespread air-quality alerts.