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The Bald Range wildfire, first reported Friday evening, expanded rapidly to cover more than 100 square kilometres by early Saturday according to BC Wildfire Service figures. The blaze moved approximately 15 kilometres in just a few hours overwhelming smaller communities before reaching Summerland Reuters reported. Flames reached such heights that they generated their own weather systems capable of producing lightning Premier David Eby said at a news conference. One fire official compared the phenomenon to a bomb going off the premier added.
British Columbia’s declaration of a state of emergency on Saturday provides the provincial government with additional powers to restrict travel protect supplies from price gouging and coordinate expanded rescue operations officials stated. The order followed evacuation directives for the entire District of Summerland which has a population of about 12000 along with nearby Peachland and sections of the Okanagan-Similkameen region. More than 20000 people have been displaced across the province in what authorities described as the largest evacuation event of the summer.
Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes told Reuters that numerous farms had been impacted by the fire although the precise number of lost structures had yet to be determined as suppression efforts continued. “We have to brace ourselves for the worst” Holmes said. Hundreds of residents from senior housing and other care facilities in Summerland were moved to safer areas according to Interior Health.
Local challenges extended to livestock with many horses in the Okanagan proving particularly difficult to evacuate CBC reported. Some residents left their property gates open in hopes the animals would escape independently while others applied identifying markings the broadcaster said. The measures reflect the fire’s swift advance that left limited time for preparations.
The incident occurs amid an active 2026 wildfire season in Canada where national figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre placed the number of fires at nearly 4000 with more than 3 million hectares burned as of late July. In British Columbia alone the BC Wildfire Service reported more than 100 active wildfires as of early August with resources stretched across multiple incidents. The province averages around 1600 fires annually but has faced above-normal activity in recent years according to service outlooks.
Eby stated that homes had been lost and some people required rescue after becoming trapped by the quickly shifting conditions. The premier stressed the importance of the emergency powers in managing the response effectively. Officials continue to assess the full extent of damage while firefighting crews supported by aviation assets work to contain the out-of-control blaze BC Wildfire Service updates showed.
