Remaining residents of the remote northern Canadian town of Yellowknife scrambled to get out of town on Friday before flames blocked their way out and another fire in Kelowna, British Columbia, prompted more evacuation orders, Reuters reported.

A state of emergency was declared early Friday in Kelowna, a city about 300 kilometers east of Vancouver with a population of about 150,000. Officials said the next 24 to 48 hours could be the toughest. The airspace was closed to make way for the water bombers.

“We fought hard last night to protect our community,” said Jason Brolund of West Kelowna.

More than 2,400 properties have been evacuated, officials said, and thousands more are on standby to leave without warning if necessary. Several buildings were destroyed overnight in West Kelowna, he said.

“It’s going to be a tough day again today. The wind is stronger than it was yesterday,” Brolund said. “People will see this glow again” on Friday night, “and it will look worse than you expected,” he added.