The latest on the wildfire burning near Summerland, B.C.

Thousands of residents in the British Columbia communities of Summerland and Peachland have been chased out of their homes by an explosive wildfire that sprang up Friday. 

Here is the latest on the wildfire that forced 20,000 to flee (all times PT): 

12:35 

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the federal government stands ready to help British Columbia in its firefighting efforts. 

Carney said on social media that he is keeping all those who have been forced from their homes in his thoughts and is hoping they can return safely soon. 

He mentions that thousand in Summerland have been evacuated as intense wildfires threaten the community. 

The prime minister also thanks the “brave firefighters and first responders working tirelessly to keep people safe.” 

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12:10

Penticton’s Mayor Julius Bloomfield says the hours since nearby Summerland was ordered evacuated have been “challenging” for his community. 

He says suddenly most of residents of Summerland — roughly 25 per cent of the of his city’s population — converged on Penticton. 

Bloomfield says it comes at a time when Penticton is saturated with tourists on Peach Fest weekend. 

While it caught many by surprise, he says staff mobilized immediately to move the emergency operations facility to Penticton’s convention centre to accommodate the high volume of people coming through. 

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11:30 

British Columbia Premier David Eby and other officials will give an update on growing wildfire situation in the province. 

Eby, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene and Cliff Chapman, the director of wildfire operations with the BC Wildfire Service will update the province at 1 p.m. 

There are 105 wildfires burning in the province and about half of them are out of control. 

Five of those wildfires are threatening communities or have already destroyed homes. 

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11:15 a.m. 

The BC Wildfire Service says the fire threatening the community of Summerland has nearly doubled in size since exploding to 50 square kilometres in a few hours late Friday. 

The fire is now measured at 95 square kilometres. 

A perimeter map put out by the BC Wildfire Service suggests the fire rolled over numerous homes right to the waterline north of Summerland.

However, officials have not said how many homes have been lost in the wildfire. 

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10:30 a.m. 

Organizers for the Peach Festival in Penticton, B.C., have announced it has cancelled all its programmed activities for Saturday as the region responds to the nearby wildfire.

The festival is an annual South Okanagan tradition that began in 1947 to celebrate the peach harvest, but a statement on social media says it has become clear that plans cannot continue as usual, given the evolving and unpredictable wildfire situation.

It says its staff would spend the day supporting the community and the emergency operations.

Many of the residents evacuated from Summerland went south to Penticton where a reception centre has been set up. 

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10 a.m. 

The District of Summerland declares a state of local emergency and orders the evacuation of the entire district.

The state of emergency also gives the district the authority to control travel in the area.

The district says the Bald Range Wildfire is a significant threat to the health, safety and welfare of residents.

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9:40 a.m. 

A large section of B.C.’s southern Interior is under an orange air quality warning.

Wildfire smoke blankets the area from the border to the Cariboo region.

Environment Canada says some regions, including the Similkameen and the central and southern Okanagan, may see some relief from the smoke into the late evening and overnight into Sunday.

Lower grade yellow alerts also fan out over much of the southern part of province into the central Interior and to the east into Alberta.

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9:30 a.m. 

Graham Statt, chief administrative officer with the District of Summerland, says power has been shut off to Summerland and there won’t be potable water to drink.

However, he says the water pressure remains strong and fire crews are using it to protect the area. 

Meanwhile, an emergency reception centre has been set up in Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, south of Summerland. 

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8 a.m. 

The BC Wildfire Service says airtankers are dropping fire retardant along the fire’s eastern flank. 

But the wind is fanning the flames, carrying embers up to a kilometre ahead of the main body of the fire. 

The service says the fire behaviour became volatile and eventually compromised both the safety and efficiency of the tankers’ objectives. 

The Canadian Press 

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