Residents of a town near Vancouver were on stand-by to evacuate Wednesday as Canada’s devastating wildfire season worsened, with officials warning weather conditions through the summer were ripe for further blazes.
A state of emergency has been declared in Squamish, British Columbia, just 64 kilometres (40 miles) north of Vancouver, a city where the greater metropolitan area population exceeds three million.
British Columbia’s emergency management department warned late Tuesday that some residents of Squamish district “must be ready to leave on short notice.”
Max Whittenburg, a 19-year-old Squamish resident, told AFP he was “in shock” to see the fire encroach so close to the community.
“I’ve never seen a fire in Squamish, at all, ever,” the skateboard coach said.
“We’ve already prepared most of the stuff in our house just in case we do have to evacuate,” he added. “We’ll be ready to go.”
Luke Procter, also 19, said he …