What to know about the Bald Range fire and B.C.'s wildfire emergency
Crews are tracking hot spots and damage assessments as thunderstorms and winds could affect the blaze, while evacuation orders remain in place.
- On Thursday, the Bald Range fire near Summerland expanded to about 191 square kilometres on the western shores of Okanagan Lake, with The Regional District beginning rapid damage assessments as evacuation orders remain in place.
- The Pear Lake has scorched nearly 1,500 square kilometres since July 17, while The Brunswick complex in the Fraser Canyon spans more than 700 square kilometres, with the Wildfire Service reporting 'aggressive' behaviour challenging control lines.
- Evacuation orders remain for about 450 properties in the Bonaparte Plateau, while Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band urged Wednesday that intensifying wildfires demand action on drought mitigation and alternative escape routes.
- Recovery efforts face complications as rockfall hazards persist near China Bar, while Officials assess damaged power infrastructure; the Bradley Creek fire to the north was declared 'held' on Aug. 8.
- The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship reported Thursday that a herd of 30 mountain goats near Highway is 'thought to have escaped' the blaze, while crews use infrared scans to monitor hot spots nightly.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Peachland gets to go home amid active wildfire - Creston Valley Advance
Some residents get to go home tonight north of the Bald Range wildfire. At 6 p.m. Friday, evacuation orders for all properties in the Peachland and Electoral Area West areas will be downgraded to evacuation alerts. But residents are reminded the Bald Range Wildfire remains active and they should continue to monitor and subscribe for notifications at coemergency.ca/subscribe. For properties in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen and Sum…
Wildfire threatens Canada wine region
John Glavina, who owns the Giant Head Estate Winery in the community of Summerland, told AFP he got an evacuation order just hours after the Bald Range fire ignited on August 7. He got in the car with his wife, dog, passport and laptop, but left behind 20 barrels of red wine in a cellar, three tanks of white wine and 14 tonnes of grapes on the vine. "We have CAD$45,000 (US$32,000) worth of crop that we could lose," he said. Officials have said t…
Smithers Interior News
Hundreds of firefighters battling Bald Range blaze near Summerland
Clearer skies and windy conditions increased fire behaviour at the Bald Range wildfire west of Summerland on Thursday, Aug. 13. As of Friday morning, Aug. 14, all evacuation orders and alerts remain in place. On Thursday night, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) provided an update on the staged re-entry process for evacuees. In its Thursday night update, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said the fire displayed Rank 3 and 4 in some pl…
Canadian Wildfire That Forced 20,000 To Flee May Signal ‘New Normal’
A wildfire that forced more than 20,000 people from their homes in western Canada moved so quickly that crews had to abandon firefighting to help residents escape, a pace British Columbia’s premier said Wednesday may represent a “new normal.” The Bald Range wildfire erupted Friday near Summerland, a community of about 12,000 in British Columbia’s […]
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