Canadian wildfire that forced 20,000 to flee may signal ‘new normal’
Premier David Eby said the blaze moved faster than wildfire models and left residents with little time to evacuate.
- The Bald Range wildfire erupted Friday near Summerland, British Columbia, forcing more than 20,000 residents from their homes. Crews abandoned firefighting to assist evacuations as the blaze destroyed homes and killed an 80-year-old woman.
- Premier David Eby said the fire's speed may represent a "new normal," noting the blaze outpaced modeling. This follows record-setting 2023 fires that burned more than 14.6 million hectares across Canada.
- By Wednesday, the fire grew to about 184 square kilometers, closing Highway 97. Summerland pharmacist Jonathan Kiesman reported significant concerns for displaced patients, saying the approaching fire "almost brought tears to my eyes."
- Premier Eby visited a Penticton evacuation center, calling the death a "tragic loss." The province will review wildfire planning and building standards as British Columbia Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene emphasized direct notification of residents.
- Officials warned that thunderstorms could increase fire activity this summer. Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said the community faces a long, difficult recovery, while Premier Eby cautioned "this is very unlikely to be the last significant fire we see this summer.
26 Articles
26 Articles
The ‘new reality’ of B.C. wildfires is anything but ‘normal’
Photo: Darry Dyck / The Canadian Press The wildfire that tipped B.C. into a state of emergency this August was described as “a bomb going off” to Premier David Eby by a fire official. Flames from Bald Range, in the interior of the province, grew to heights of 90 metres as the fire spread rapidly after igniting on Aug. 7. More than 20,000 people in the region were evacuated. At least one person died while trying to flee. And all of that is due to…
What to know about the Bald Range fire and B.C.’s wildfire emergency
Premier David Eby has said British Columbia's wildfire season turned "brutal," with a ferocious blaze that led to the death of an 80-year-old woman and forced some 20,000 people out of their homes in the south Okanagan last weekend. Here are key facts ...
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What to know about the Bald Range fire and B.C.‘s wildfire emergency
Premier David Eby has said British Columbia's wildfire season turned "brutal," with a ferocious blaze that led to the death of an 80-year-old woman and forced some 20,000 people out of their homes in the south Okanagan last weekend.
Super-fast Canadian wildfire may be '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 may represent a “new normal”. The Bald Range wildfire erupted on Friday near Summerland, a community of about 12,000 in British Columbia’s Okanagan region. By Wednesday, it had grown to about 184 square kilometres after destroying homes and kill…
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