Evacuees slowly learn of losses from B.C. wildfire that forced thousands to flee

As the Bald Range wildfire raged on the outskirts of Summerland, British Columbia, thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes. The community of Faulder, west of Summerland, was among the first to be engulfed by the flames. Kyla Gaudiuso, a resident of Faulder, learned of her home's destruction when she received a photo of the ridge where it once stood, now completely consumed by the wildfire.

The fire claimed the life of an 80-year-old woman who died while attempting to escape her home in Meadow Valley, west of Summerland. The British Columbia government declared a state of emergency, acknowledging the significant property losses, though details remain scarce.

Residents described the evacuation process as chaotic, with pandemonium breaking out as they learned of the encroaching fire. Gaudiuso managed to escape and is currently staying with a friend in Penticton, hoping the blaze will be contained soon so she can witness the extent of the destruction firsthand. The BC Wildfire Service reported that the fire has burned through an area of 136 square kilometres, with about 10,000 homes under evacuation orders in Summerland, Peachland, the Okanagan-Similkameen and Central Okanagan regional districts, and on Penticton Indian Band lands.

Over 3,200 homes are under lower-level evacuation alerts stretching from Peachland to Highway 97C and from Penticton along the city's western outskirts.