Mexican reinforcements expected for wildfire fight in western Canada after 20,000 flee

WEST KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP) — About 100 firefighters from Mexico were expected to arrive Tuesday to help fight a deadly wildfire that has forced 20,000 people to flee and destroyed homes and other properties near Okanagan Lake in Western Canada, officials said.

The fire has killed an 80-year-old woman and burned toward Summerland, a community of about 12,000 people roughly 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Vancouver.

Hugh Murdoch of the British Columbia Wildfire Service said crews face a “monumental task” in steep terrain and hot conditions, with burning embers igniting new fires beyond the main perimeter and limiting opportunities for firefighters to attack the blaze directly.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have opened a criminal investigation into the cause of the fire, which began Friday. The fire has destroyed numerous homes, but officials said dangerous conditions have prevented crews from completing damage assessments.

Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes warned Monday that residents should not expect to return home soon.

“We need to brace ourselves for what’s there or what’s not there,” Holmes said at a briefing, his voice breaking. “It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be really hard. We all know people who have lost homes. And those people need our help.”

Lucille and Gordon Beach of Summerland were in Vancouver for the weekend wedding of a granddaughter when they heard the fire had started. “We didn't feel too celebratory,” Lucille Beach said Tuesday.

The couple, staying for now in West Kelowna with their dog, haven't seen their home since leaving Friday but believed it was OK. It took a few days to adjust to the reality of what was happening, Lucille Beach said.

Carmen Bodzasy evacuated from Summerland, where she and her husband moved recently. She had to navigate evacuating on unfamiliar roads while he was away for work.

Before leaving, “I cried my eyes out for a minute, and I thought, you know what, if I had to restart over, what would I take with me?” She took photos of her parents' wedding, of her children's families and of her and her husband. “I thought if I didn’t have walls to go home to, at least I have memories to put up on my new one,” she said.

Holding her small dog Tuesday, she was not sure the status of their home but said whatever happens, she intends to stay in Summerland, a place where people wave at passing motorists and stop to ask how you're doing.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help that town rebuild because everybody’s so kind there,” she said.

About 100 wildfires were burning across British Columbia, roughly half of them out of control. The British Columbia Wildfire Service also warned of a high risk of new lightning-caused fires in the province’s central Interior and Okanagan region.

In the U.S., firefighters in California on Tuesday were fighting a blaze that’s burned roughly three square miles (8 square kilometers) in the Big Sur region of the state’s rugged central coast. Area state parks have closed and evacuation orders have been issued, including for a roughly 7-mile (11-kilometer) stretch of Highway 1, the state’s iconic coastal route. The highway was open as of Tuesday morning, California Highway Patrol spokesperson Ryan Moore said.

The Timber Fire has held east of the highway, authorities said.

Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Claire Rush contributed from Portland, Oregon.