British Columbia declared a provincial state of emergency Saturday after a fast-moving wildfire nearly doubled in size overnight, forcing more than 20,000 residents from their homes in the heart of Canada’s second-largest wine region.
The Bald Range wildfire exploded to roughly 23,500 acres, prompting evacuation orders across the districts of Summerland, Peachland and other communities west of Okanagan Lake in the province’s southern interior. Officials called it the largest single evacuation event of the summer season. The entire community of Summerland, home to about 12,000 people, was ordered out overnight, along with roughly 8,000 residents in and around neighboring Peachland.
Premier David Eby said one fire official likened the blaze to “a bomb going off,” describing flames climbing 100 feet up trees with a further 200 feet of fire above that, intense enough to generate its own weather system, including lightning that in turn sparked new fires. Eby said homes and properties had already been destroyed and that some residents became trapped as conditions shifted rapidly, requiring emergency rescue.
Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said extensive agricultural damage had also been reported, though authorities had not yet determined how many structures were lost as crews remained focused on fighting the fire. Summerland lost power Saturday and issued a boil-water notice after untreated water bypassed the treatment plant amid the disruption.
Residents described a chaotic overnight scramble, driving south to Penticton or north to Kelowna as highways began closing around them. Provincewide, more than 100 wildfires were burning, nearly half of them out of control, as roughly 1,500 firefighting personnel battled blazes amid hot, dry conditions and prolonged drought. Authorities have issued 40 evacuation orders and 49 evacuation alerts across the province.
Firefighting crews from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand have joined the response, as Canada endures another destructive wildfire season that has also strained neighboring provinces, including Ontario and Quebec.
