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British Columbia declares emergency as wildfires force 20,000 to evacuate

British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate communities in western Canada, destroying homes as it raced toward towns along Okanagan Lake.

Premier David Eby announced the emergency as more than 100 wildfires burned across the province, nearly half of them out of control amid hot, windy weather and prolonged drought.

The entire community of Summerland, home to about 12,000 people, was ordered to evacuate overnight, along with about 8,000 people in and around nearby Peachland. Officials had not determined how many homes were destroyed.

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