Wildfires spread in western states and British Columbia

A fast-moving wildfire burned overnight through thousands more acres of steep terrain near California's central coast, officials said on Sunday, as high temperatures and parched vegetation fueled dozens of blazes in the U.S. West and Southwest.

The Alamo Fire has engulfed about 23,900 acres in the area of the border between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, a few miles from the city of Santa Maria, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That was up from 19,000 acres on Saturday evening.

About 15 percent of the fire had been contained by Sunday evening, Cal Fire tweeted. The fire has so far destroyed one structure and was threatening more than 130 others, Cal Fire said.

On Saturday, hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate the remote canyons affected by the fire. No injuries have been reported. Hundreds of firefighters were trying to stop the fire from reaching wineries to the south and electric transmission lines to the southeast, Santa Barbara County officials said.

The Alamo Fire was one of about 50 large uncontained fires burning in western states, the National Weather Service said on Sunday morning.

A wave of scorching weather has hit California in recent days. On Saturday, a fire at an electrical power station in Los Angeles left 140,000 residents without power, after a second straight day marked by temperatures that exceeded 90 degrees.

British Columbia on Monday evacuated thousands more residents from the path of wildfires spreading across the Western Canadian province amid expectations the blazes will grow as forecasters predict more hot, dry weather the week.

Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters that more than 10,000 people had been forced from their homes, up from about 7,000 the previous day.

Vancouver-based precious metals company Engold Mines Ltd , which has an office among the evacuated areas, said on Monday it had suspended exploration in the region.

On Friday, 138 fires started as electrical storms and brisk winds passed through the interior of the bone-dry province, which has not seen significant rains for weeks.

British Columbia declared its first state of emergency since 2003, deploying some 1,600 personnel over the weekend to respond to the fires.

Some 59,300 acres were ravaged by wildfires as of midday Sunday, according to official tallies, but British Columbia's chief fire spokesman Kevin Skrepnek told reporters he believed the extent of the devastation was significantly higher.

Canada's military has agreed to supply airplanes and helicopters and put personnel on standby, and other jurisdictions have agreed to send some 260 personnel to help.