Fast-moving British Columbia wildfire forces 20,000 evacuations near Okanagan Lake
A fast-moving wildfire in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley forced more than 20,000 people from their homes overnight, with the Bald Range blaze growing from 20 acres to over 23,000 acres within hours and remaining out of control as of Saturday morning.
Fire's rapid spread
The Bald Range wildfire was first reported on Friday at approximately 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, originating about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Summerland, British Columbia. Within four hours, the blaze had exploded from just 20 acres to nearly 12,400 acres, according to Erick Thompson, spokesman for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen emergency operations. By Saturday morning, the fire had continued to grow, with the BBC reporting it covered more than 95 square kilometers (36 square miles), while the New York Times cited more than 23,000 acres. The BC Wildfire Service classified the blaze as "out of control." The cause of the fire remains unknown.
- Fire discovered near Summerland, 20 acres
- Fire grows to nearly 12,400 acres within 4 hours
- Summerland's 12,000 residents ordered to evacuate
- State of emergency declared in Summerland
- Fire at 95+ sq km, still out of control
- Discovery (Fri 5:30 PM)
- 20 acres
- 4 hours later (Fri 9:30 PM)
- 12400 acres
- Saturday morning
- 23000 acres
Mass evacuations ordered
The entire community of Summerland, home to about 12,000 people, was ordered to evacuate shortly after midnight on Saturday. An additional 8,000 residents in and around Peachland were also ordered to leave. At least 55 people were airlifted to safety, Thompson said. The district of Summerland declared a state of emergency early Saturday. Power was lost across the community, and officials issued a boil water notice after untreated water entered the system when the water treatment plant was bypassed due to the fire threat. The number of structures destroyed remained unclear, though videos posted on social media appeared to show multiple homes burning as residents fled along roads with flames on both sides.
Officials and residents describe the scene
Thompson called the blaze one of the "quickest-moving, fastest-growing" wildfires the region had experienced, and eventually had to abandon the emergency operations center to evacuate his own family.
I had to leave the EOC to come and get my family to leave this area. We're heading south.
Lisa Corcoran, a spokeswoman with the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Center, described the conditions driving the fire's spread in an interview with CBC on Saturday morning.
It is hot, it is dry, it is windy, and we haven't had rain in a long time. Everything is just very, very dry out there.
Homeowner Kerry Gold and her husband Mike Elsinga fled around 12:30 a.m. after watching flames spread beyond nearby mountains.
It's scary. It's moving fast.
You want to stay here and protect your home, but you also don't want to get caught in it.
Broader wildfire season
The Bald Range fire is part of a wider Canadian wildfire season that has burned through 3.9 million hectares across the country this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. As of August 8, nearly 630 wildfires were burning across Canada, with 104 active in British Columbia alone. About 1,500 firefighting personnel are deployed across the province, which has issued 39 evacuation orders and 49 alerts. Canada has received assistance from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand. Premier David Eby said the province has sufficient resources and additional national and international firefighters and aircraft at its disposal.
For those in the area, please keep following updates. If asked to evacuate, go immediately. The conditions are changing extremely quickly.
Amelia Boultbee, a Canadian MP representing Penticton-Summerland, wrote on social media on Friday night that her heart was with the firefighters, first responders, evacuees and volunteers.
