'Total incinerated destruction': Canada wildfire evacuees wonder if they still have homes

Earl Kurz and his wife have lived in Peachland, a town overlooking Okanagan Lake in Canada's British Columbia, for 30 years. In the last 10, he said he has grown used to wildfires threatening his community.

But this is the first time he's been forced to flee, and surveying the damage left behind by the Bald Range wildfire, which broke out on Friday and grew in a matter of hours to 53 sq miles (136 sq km) in size, has been difficult.

"It's total incinerated destruction," Kurz said. "The hot spots are just barren areas of nothing except 12 inches of ash."

Officials in British Columbia are still trying to determine how many homes were lost to the fire, which remains out of control as of Monday.

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More than 12,000 residents in the area are still under an evacuation order.

One woman, aged 80, died while trying to flee from the wildfire, police said on Sunday.