Evacuation order issued for Canadian town as wildfire crosses over from US

An evacuation order for the Canadian town of Osoyoos and its surrounding district has been issued due to an out-of-control wildfire that has crossed the border from the U.S. state of Washington.

The wildfire, called Eagle Buff, is approximately 4 kilometres (2.49 miles) from Osoyoos, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service.

It is about 200 hectares in size on the Canadian side of the border and 2,000 hectares in size on the U.S. side, it added.

Osoyoos and the regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen issued the alert late Saturday night, citing “potential danger to life and health”.

The evacuation order covers the area north of the Canada-United States border to the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 3, as well as west and north along Highway 3.