Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest are continuing to grow in British Columbia, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes in several areas of the Western Canadian province. Photo courtesy of BC Wildfire Service

The fire situation had “evolved and deteriorated rapidly,” they said.

“This year, we’re facing the worst B.C. wildfire season ever, Premier David Eby said in a statement on the social media platform X. “Over the past 24 hrs, the situation has evolved rapidly and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead. Given these fast-moving conditions, we are declaring a provincial state of emergency.”

Smoke from the fires is expected to begin affecting parts of Washington state, increasing in intensity through the weekend, according to the U.S. National Weather Service in Seattle.

There are currently more than 350 wildfires of differing sizes burning across the province, according to the latest update from the B.C. Wildfire Service.

Forecasters are not predicting any rain in the region until Tuesday.

Fires in and around the city of Kelowna in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, located about 250 miles east of Vancouver, have forced the evacuation of the entire University of British Columbia campus there.

The area is a popular tourist destination and fires crossed the massive Lake Okanagan earlier in the week. Officials confirmed Friday the famed Lake Okanagan Resort had succumbed to fire, with photos showing the historic hotel engulfed in smoke and flames.

It’s not clear exactly how many structures have been consumed by the flames at this point, but the McDougall Creek wildfire in neighboring West Kelowna is currently burning out of control and measured more than 40 square miles as of Saturday morning.

A wildfire burning province’s Fraser Canyon area has forced officials to close a section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

More than 2,500 firefighters are currently working across the province, with crews from Brazil arriving in late July to help support operations.