Massive Wildfire Engulfs British Columbia's Summerland, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate

Red flames and smoke rising in night sky from hilly forest
Urban blaze drives thousands into emergency evacuation channels in British Columbia.

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.