In brief
The Bald Range wildfire in British Columbia surged to over 36 square miles in less than 24 hours, demanding the evacuation of about 20,000 residents across Summerland and neighboring Peachland. Emergency official Erick Thompson, who left the command center to evacuate his family, described the blaze as the fastest‑moving, largest in recent history. Power outages and uncertainty over structural damage intensified the crisis. With horses and homes at stake, the region struggles to manage the fire’s rapid expansion.
The Bald Range wildfire has erupted to more than 36 square miles (95 square kilometres) in the Okanagan–Similkameen area of British Columbia, doubling its size overnight. The fire’s ferocity has forced Summerland’s roughly 12,000 residents and about 8,000 in neighboring Peachland to abandon their homes and head south.
Local emergency official Erick Thompson, of the Regional District of Okanagan‑Similkameen, described the blaze as a “quickest‑moving, largest fire” he has seen within the region’s fire‑prone expanse. Light flickers dimmed as power was knocked out across the town, and uncertainty shrouded the exact number of structures destroyed.
While the fire remains out of control as of Saturday morning, residents are scrambling to secure a safe exit. Many pet owners left their animal gates open in the hope that horses could find refuge, while some marked their livestock for easier identification later. The fierce flame is a stark reminder of the growing wildfire threats across Canada’s western provinces.
