Provincial state of emergency officially called for first time since 2023 as Bald Range fire ‘like a bomb going off’ and highlights intensely challenging wildfire season
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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 in the day on 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 95 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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Close to midnight, Summerland residents were ordered to evacuate. Eighteen aircraft halted their firefighting efforts to rescue more than 50 residents on Friday.
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RCMP said they were investigating a report of a possible fatality of a resident from Meadow Valley, close to Summerland, and are working with the B.C. Coroners Service and the impacted family to confirm, but are hampered by the hazardous conditions in the area.
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During a press conference with Eby and other provincial officials, Cliff Chapman, the director of provincial operations for B.C. Wildfire Service, continually hammered home the point that if an evacuation order is issued, it needs to be followed.
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“This is many people’s worst nightmare, and as an organization, this is one of the more challenging fires that we have ever faced,” he said. “The conditions we face in B.C. right now, in particular in the southern third, are explosive. I cannot stress enough that the conditions we are facing right now are conditions that we have never seen before. If we recommend an evacuation order, I need to stress now is the time to leave.
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“We do not take those decisions lightly. We make those recommendations based on saving lives.”
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Those needing assistance can access it through reception centres or by register online at ess.gov.bc.ca or by phoning the B.C. Evacuee Helpline at 1-800-387-4258.
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One evacuee, 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.
