Thousands of residents are under evacuation orders in British Columbia as multiple out-of-control wildfires sweep the interior, with dozens of properties damaged or destroyed, according to provincial authorities. In Scotland, a major wildfire in Cairngorms National Park has also forced evacuations.

In British Columbia, the Pear Lake fire near Clinton led to the expansion of evacuation orders to cover 118 properties. The nearby Fiftynine Creek fire has grown beyond 102 square kilometres. Authorities report roughly 20 structures damaged, ranging from melted siding to total loss. South of Boston Bar, the Ainslie Creek and Anderson Creek fires have merged, encircling the community and leading officials to upgrade alerts to orders just before midnight. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned that refusing to leave endangers residents and crews.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called this one of the most intense wildfire seasons on record, committing 5,300 firefighters and 300 aircraft. Mexico is sending 200 firefighters. In Ontario, 177 active fires have displaced over 1,800 people, predominantly from First Nations communities; Indigenous leaders are demanding a public inquiry into the provincial response, a call Premier Doug Ford has rejected.

McGill University lecturer John Gradek argues that Canada’s reactive, evacuation-focused strategy is outdated and calls for a national plan with pre-positioned assets and greater use of Indigenous forest management techniques such as prescribed burns. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Police Scotland declared a major incident as the Cairngorms fire grew unpredictable in strong winds, threatening the village of Nethy Bridge. First Minister John Swinney urged the public to avoid exclusion zones.

No new fires were reported in Ontario in the past 24 hours, but the BC Wildfire Service warns that hot, dry conditions will persist, with further growth and increased smoke expected. The Cairngorms fire remains active, and authorities have given no indication of when residents might return.