Wildfires in B.C. lead to the cancellation of 2 Sarah McLachlan shows - Action News
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British Columbia

Wildfires in B.C. lead to the cancellation of 2 Sarah McLachlan shows

Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival organizers say they will contact ticket holders in the weeks ahead.

Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival organizers say they will contact ticket holders in weeks ahead

Empty smoky stage.
An empty stage after wildfires prompted organizers to call off the second night of the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival. (Tom Popyk/CBC)

Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan has had two shows in B.C. cancelled by two separate wildfires.

The Juno and Grammy-award winning musician, who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, was scheduled to play at the Salmon ArmRoots and Blues festival on Sundayand at the Mission Hill Family EstateWinery in West KelownaMonday.

The West Kelowna show was the first to be called off following a night of devastation in the Okanagan citythat saw more than 2,000 people forced from their homes and multiple properties destroyed.

The winery says it hopes to set a new date for McLachlan to visit but is also offering refunds online.

The latest on B.C.'s wildfires:

About 100 kilometers north of West Kelowna, organizers of the Salmon Arts Roots and Blues festival had remained hopeful their performance would be able to go ahead.

The festival kicked off Friday night, with headliners Blue Rodeo playing under an increasingly smoky sky.

By Saturday, organizers said it had become clear the festival should be called off as hundreds of people were forced from their homes by wildfires burning to the north of Salmon Arm.

A woman singing.
Sarah McLachlan rose to international fame in the 1990s with her albums Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Surfacing. (David Bergman)

In a notice posted online, the festival says it made the decision after consulting with fire officials and RCMP andticket holders will be contacted in the weeks ahead.

McLachlan's official Instagram account reposted the announcement, adding "our thoughts are with everyone who is being impacted by the fires... Please stay safe."

On Saturday, the province said an estimated 30,000 people are under evacuation orders while a further 36,000 are under evacuation alert.