What you need to know about B.C. wildfires on Aug. 8
B.C. declares state of provincial emergency, warns more challenging fires to come
THE LATEST:
- Officials declare provincial state of emergency, warn more challenging fire behaviour ahead.
- Close to 22,000 people under evacuation orders across B.C.
- Homes lost as fast-moving Bald Range fire forces evacuation of Summerland, areas around Peachland
- The Bradley Creek wildfire, believed to have destroyed at least 230 properties, is now classified as being held.
- The 485 square kilometre Ainslie Creek fire near Boston Bar has grown northward towards Highway 8 and eastward towards Highway 5
- Several major highway and road closures in place, including Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon and Highway 97 in the Okanagan.
State of emergency
The B.C. government declared a state of provincial emergency on Saturday, saying it would give officials powers such as commandeering accommodations and restricting travel in key areas amid worsening wildfires.
That came after the District of Summerland declared its own local state of emergency Friday night, as the Bald Range wildfire raged nearer.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from Summerland and the Peachland area as a result of the fire, which had grown to 103 square kilometres by Saturday afternoon, according to wildfire officials, doubling in size overnight.
"Homes have been lost and properties have been destroyed," Premier David Eby said in a Saturday briefing.
"Some people became trapped as conditions changed very quickly and needed to be rescued. It remains a very dynamic and threatening situation."
The RCMP said Saturday they are investigating a possible fatality related to the fire.
Officials said firefighters in the area are focusing efforts on containment lines, structure defence and search and rescue.
On Saturday afternoon, the Penticton Indian Band issued an evacuation order for half a dozen properties due to the fire, while the band and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen both expanded evacuation alerts for properties south of Summerland and west of Penticton.
Summerland resident Shannon Bedford said she noticed a lot of smoke drifting in, thinking it was from fires north of Summerland.
"It literally came in like a curtain," she explained.
She said she and her husband overheard firefighters directing residents to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, before she got her cat and husband in the car and headed to Kelowna.
"We've got ourselves, our animals and our son actually out in Penticton — so that [is] a bit nerve-racking trying to figure out how we [are] going to deal with that too."
'Explosive' conditions
Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations for the B.C. Wildfire Service, said Saturday that the potential for another fire like the one that roared into Summerland was "very real."
“The conditions we face in B.C. right now, in particular the southern third, are explosive," Chapman said.
"We are going to be challenged and we may see fires do what we saw on this fire last night — I cannot stress enough that the conditions we are facing right now are conditions we have never seen before.”
B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said those conditions on this fire were so extreme that it could not be stopped.
“There is no resourcing available that we could have put on the fire yesterday or at this time that would prevent it from behaving and growing as it currently is," Parmar said.
The fire danger rating across southern B.C. from the eastern edge of the Coastal Fire Centre through to the Alberta border is currently listed as "high" or "extreme," and Chapman said he expects to see more evacuation orders due to current and potential new fires.
Other major evacuations
The Pear Lake wildfire — currently the largest in the province at roughly 1,364.5 square kilometres — has destroyed structures on about 120 properties in the area, and has forced thousands of people from their homes in Clinton, 70 Mile House and the surrounding area.
Evacuation orders have also been issued for residents south of Lillooet as the Riley Creek wildfire continues to grow.
On Friday, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District issued an evacuation order for 16 properties in the Texas Creek area. The T'it'q'et First Nation also issued an evacuation order for five homes located on T'it'q'et Indian Reserve #2 Towinock.
Meanwhile, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order for 57 properties south of Merritt in the Nicola Valley on Friday due to growth on the Ainslie Creek wildfire.
The district also issued an evacuation alert for 783 properties southwest of the city.
The fire is growing in two directions. The B.C. Wildfire Service said to the north it has come within nine kilometres of Highway 8, while to the east it has come within 12 kilometres of the Coquihalla Highway.
Other large fires
On the northwest end of Okanagan Lake, the destructive 26 square kilometre Bradley Creek wildfire is now classified as being held.
The Township of Spallumcheen and Columbia Shuswap Regional District have both downgraded and rescinded orders and alerts related to the fire.
The exact scale of the damage from the Bradley Creek fire is still being estimated, but the Okanagan Indian Band says at least 230 homes have been destroyed on its reserve.
Farther south, the Quilpituk Creek wildfire is burning at just over 12 square kilometres as of Saturday night.
Over 2,600 properties remained under evacuation order and another 312 on evacuation alert overnight due to this fire.
Since Thursday, the Ainslie Creek wildfire, part of the Brunswick Complex, has grown more than 50 square kilometres.
The BCWS said it continues to see active fire in the area above Highway 1 around Hell's Gate.
Air quality warnings
Air quality warnings are in effect for several parts of the province due to wildfire smoke.
Provincial authorities say "smoke impacts remain widespread" throughout B.C.'s central and southern Interior regions, and "no significant clearing" is expected today.
Several areas, including the cities of Kelowna, Kamloops and Vernon, were under a "moderate," orange air quality warning.
That means residents should consider reducing any strenuous outdoor activities if they're experiencing symptoms such as coughing or throat irritation, the province says on its website.
Highway closures
Several highway closures are in place due to wildfires in the province.
Highway 1 remains closed for about 40 kilometres between Yale and Boston Bar.
Highway 97 is closed for a stretch from around Hardy Street in the south side of Peachland to the Pyramid Picnic Area in Kickininee Provincial Park, located south of Summerland, due to the Bald Range fire.
North of that, Westside Road is closed for a 50 kilometre stretch due to the Quilpituk Creek fire.
Highway 97 is also closed for a 60 kilometre stretch through Clinton due to the Big Bar Complex wildfires.
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With files from Sia Foryoh