What to know about the Bald Range fire and B.C.’s wildfire emergency

British Columbia is grappling with a brutal wildfire season that has claimed an 80-year-old woman's life and displaced about 20,000 residents in the south Okanagan. Premier David Eby declared a state of emergency on August 8 in response to the situation.

Highway 97, which was closed overnight due to the wildfire, has now reopened between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Residents in the evacuated community of Summerland, B.C., were informed that they cannot access side roads leading to areas under evacuation orders without a temporary pass. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen reported that some areas visible from the highway were unscathed, while the rest of the community was heavily damaged.

The fire has spread to approximately 191 square kilometres, up from 184 square kilometres the previous day, and is currently burning on the western shores of Okanagan Lake. Rapid damage assessments began in areas north and south of Summerland, but evacuees are unsure when they can return home.

The fire's southern flank remains on the western side of Mount Conkle, where a roughly 40-kilometre fire guard has been constructed. The B.C. government noted that the region has received minimal rainfall since July 1, with no precipitation recorded since the start of August, exacerbating the wildfire risk.

Conservation officers reported that a small herd of mountain goats residing on the slopes above Highway 97 in the Summerland area likely escaped the blaze. Chief Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band emphasized that intensifying wildfires are not natural occurrences and called for more action to mitigate the blazes and address worsening drought conditions.

Gabriel also requested alternative escape routes for evacuees, highlighting long lines of vehicles during their flight from the blaze. The Brunswick complex, encompassing the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires, spans over 700 square kilometres in B.C.'s Fraser Canyon. The Ainslie Creek blaze is pushing eastward towards the Coquihalla Highway and the City of Merritt, B.C.

The BC Wildfire Service reported that the fire's aggressive behavior on its southern flank in the Fraser Canyon posed a challenge for control lines, although the flames had not crossed them. Rockfall remained a hazard along Highway 1, particularly in the China Bar area, where the fire burned on steep slopes dislodging debris.

Meanwhile, a separate wildfire, the Pear Lake fire, has scorched nearly 1,500 square kilometres in B.C.'s south Cariboo region since July 17. Evacuation orders and alerts cover parts of the southern Cariboo due to this fire and two others burning nearby, stretching from South Chilcotin Mountains Park to the outskirts of Cache Creek.

The Pear Lake fire prompted the Bonaparte First Nation to issue evacuation orders for two reserves along Highway 99 west of Cache Creek, while another evacuation alert remains in effect for approximately 450 properties in the Bonaparte Plateau.