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Here’s a roundup of the latest news concerning the wildfires burning across B.C., updated by our newsroom
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B.C. has declared a state of emergency as crews battle a number of wildfires around the province, including the Bald Range wildfire that forced the evacuation of 20,000 people. The B.C. Wildfire Service warned that continuing hot and dry conditions have led to more extreme fire behaviour.
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Follow our live-blog for the latest updates.
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B.C. WILDFIRES MAP
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• Latest updates on fire activity in British Columbia: bcwildfire.ca
• Current wildfire travel advisories: drivebc.ca
• Info for residents/evacuees impacted by wildfires: emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca
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SUNDAY, AUG. 9
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Woman, 80, dies while evacuating Bald Range wildfire
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The Penticton RCMP has confirmed an elderly woman died while fleeing the Bald Range wildfire.
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According to police, the 80-year-old and a family member were leaving their home in the Meadow Valley area shortly after the wildfire began spreading rapidly on Friday evening. Meadow Valley is northwest of Summerland.
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In the early hours of Saturday morning, police were contacted by a witness who had evacuated the area and told of the woman’s sudden death.
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Records show the area the woman was leaving was subject to an evacuation order issued at 4 a.m. on Saturday.
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“Penticton RCMP are now confirming an 80-year-old Meadow Valley resident was attempting to leave her home, along with one member of her family, due to the wildfires when she reportedly died suddenly. Police believe her death to be a result of the wildfire,” the statement read.
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The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating.
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Heavy smoke giving firefighters a break
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B.C. Wildfire Service information officer Erin Catherall says heavy smoke due to the Bald Range wildfire is keeping temperatures down and helping firefighters.
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“We don’t want blue skies because temperatures will go up,” Catherall said.
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However, working against fire crews is an expected change in wind direction from the east to the west. This mean the fire, which is west of the evacuated Summerland, could be blown towards the district.
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Fire crews are also concerned that some residents have stayed, despite an evacuation order.
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The Bald Range wildfire grew 30 square kilometres overnight and is now at 136 square kilometres.
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‘Sky glowing red’: Alberta vacationer recounts escape from wildfire
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A Calgary-based DJ has shared his story of fleeing the raging wildfire near Summerland.
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Matt Strickland, 33, he travelled to the Okanagan Valley to perform in Penticton before joining friends for a camping trip near Summerland, which is under wide-ranging evacuation orders.
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The group set up their tents Friday morning and later that day began noticing a plume of smoke rising from a nearby mountain. As conditions worsened, Strickland said they began packing their belongings so they would be ready to leave.
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“You could see the sky was glowing red. There was lots of smoke,” Strickland said. “We were getting snowed on by ash … It was getting pretty bad.”
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The group stayed at the campsite, watching as winds appeared to push the fire and smoke away from them. But when winds abruptly changed direction, Strickland said conditions quickly deteriorated.
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“The wind shifted, and we felt temperatures climbing like 30 degrees,” he said. “We all knew: oh, that’s not good.”
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Within minutes, he said, the evacuation alert came. “We packed up as quick as we could, and then got out of there.”
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“The conditions were really bad. It was hard to breathe. It was very, very smoky,” he said.
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The group drove to Penticton and spent the night in a Walmart parking lot. Deteriorating air quality there quickly made staying in the area impossible, Strickland said.
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With Highway 97 closed, they eventually made their way east to Cranbrook, where they remained Sunday.
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‘High potential’ for new fires, warns B.C. Wildfire Service
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The B.C. Wildfire Service is warning that there is a “high potential” for more lightning-caused wildfires, especially in B.C.’s central Interior and Okanagan.
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In an update on Sunday, the service said both areas are experiencing some precipitation and dry lightning. It also said higher temperatures and stronger wind gusts are expected to continue in the Okanagan and southeast B.C.
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The service said small fires in steep terrain are especially concerning, because wind and slope can help fires grow quickly.
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To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on your cellphone, or use the B.C. Wildfire Service app and hit “report a wildfire.”
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Bald Range wildfire: More residents ordered to evacuate
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There’s another evacuation order related to the Bald Range wildfire,
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The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has order everyone in the Brent Lake & Shingle Creek electoral area “F” to evacuate immediately. Here is a map of the location:
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The district says evacuees should head to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre (273 Power St.) to register.
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There are now more than 100 wildfires burning in B.C.
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There are 102 active wildfires burning in B.C. as of Sunday morning, including five started in the past 24 hours, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. Four are considered wildfires of note, including the Bald Range wildfire that led to the evacuation of more than 20,000 people and had grown to more than 100 square kilometres as of Sunday. Nearly half of the wildfires are considered out of control.
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The service is also warning that continuing hot and dry conditions have led to extreme fire behaviour in southern B.C.
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Showers and thunderstorms are forecast in Cariboo, Prince George and Southeast fire centres, with a heightened risk of dry lightning over the next couple of days.
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Smoke is likely to linger over southern parts of the province in the coming days, especially over the southeast. The wildfire service said Sunday that reduced visibility is making aircraft monitoring and detection difficult, so public reports are critical “as they are our eyes and ears on the ground.”
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DriveBC: Don’t trust Google Maps
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DriveBC is asking drivers to double check its website for the latest updates on wildfire closures, evacuation orders and advisories. The service says Google Maps is “having issues displaying correct updated information.”
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WATCH: How to protect yourself and your home from wildfires
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SATURDAY, AUG. 8
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B.C. declares state of emergency
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Premier David Eby declared a provincial state of emergency Saturday afternoon after more than 20,000 people were ordered to leave their homes, as a fast-moving wildfire burned out of control near Okanagan Lake.
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Evacuation orders covered the entire community of Summerland, home to about 12,000 people, along with about 8,000 residents in and around Peachland. The District of Summerland had declared a state of emergency earlier Saturday.
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The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen expanded its evacuation order to include dozens of other properties in the Peachland watershed, Brenda Mines, Lower Princeton and Peachland’s downtown core.
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The Bald Range wildfire, burning northwest of Summerland, was first reported Friday afternoon and grew to more than 93 square kilometres by Saturday.
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“This new fire marks a significant shift in the overall fire situation in our province,” Eby said during a press conference.
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‘We’ve got to get out of here’
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Summerland resident Kerry Gold, was having dinner Friday evening when she noticed a huge black cloud rising in the sky.
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It was around 7 p.m. when she could see flames shooting up west of town.
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Gold was following live videos on YouTube and watching for any indication that an evacuation would be ordered. Her home was not initially in the evacuation zone, but she said that changed when Erick Thompson, Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen emergency information officer, posted a live video on YouTube but signed off to check on his family.
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“We’ve got to get out of here,” Gold said.
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She quickly gathered what she could and left Summerland at about midnight.
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“We grabbed everything, our cat, our friend from down the road and drove,” she said.
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Watching the wildfire approach
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For hours, Summerland resident Bernie Wright watched the wildfire inch closer to his longtime home through a security camera feed, powerless to do anything but wait.
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Wright had fled his property near Prairie Valley Road at about 8 p.m. Friday as flames ripped through the surrounding woods.
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From a friend’s home in Peachland, he kept checking the cameras, watching the fire approach from several kilometres away.
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At about 2:45 a.m., the power failed and Wright’s security cameras went dark.
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Before he left, he had turned on a sprinkler on the roof of his home, hoping it would help protect the property as the fire crept closer.
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“I got two hours of sleep last night,” he said as he awaited updates.
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WATCH: 7 things to know about wildfire smoke
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70 new wildfires started in past week
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Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said Saturday that there have been 70 new fires sparked in the past week alone, and more than 2,000 firefighters from Canada, Australia and Mexico have been deployed.
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Firefighting resources are being ramped up to fight the Bald Ridge fire, with additional crews, structure-protection teams, local fire departments, heavy equipment and aircraft being deployed to the area, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
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The wildfire has also affected flights at Kelowna International Airport, with some residents reporting their flights had been cancelled Saturday.
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YLW advises travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
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Fish-protection order rescinded
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The province has rescinded the temporary fish-protection order for the Salmon River watershed in the Thompson-Okanagan, as farmers and ranchers deal with elevated wildfire risk in the region.
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The temporary protection order, which was put in place to protect Chinook salmon during challenging drought conditions, was lifted so agricultural properties can access the water for to protect their buildings and land.
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The order was issued on July 28 as the region has endured drought and critically low streamflows.
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