Toronto - Firefighters have made slow progress putting out large-scale wildfires raging in the western Canadian province of British Columbia, Canadian media said. Three fires broke out Saturday in mountains surrounding the town of Kelowna, about 400 kilometres east of Vancouver. Only one of them could be partly contained, CTV television said late Monday.
About 11,000 people were forced to leave their homes Sunday while another 6,000 were told by officials to prepare for evacuation.
No casualties have been reported, but several homes have been destroyed and large areas have no electricity.
Authorities have so far not determined the cause of the fires but did not rule out arson. High temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius and dry weather conditions could also be responsible.
