British Columbia wildfire forces 20,000 to flee; premier cites 'new normal' of fast-moving blazes

A wildfire that forced more than 20,000 people to flee their homes in western Canada advanced so rapidly that firefighters had to abandon their efforts to help residents evacuate, a pace that the province's premier said may represent a “new normal.”

The Bald Range wildfire broke out on August 7 near Summerland, a community of about 12,000 in British Columbia's Okanagan region. By Wednesday, it had grown to roughly 184 square kilometres (71 square miles), destroyed homes and claimed the life of an 80-year-old woman.

“There's an important set of lessons for us to take about how quickly this moved and that this may be our new normal for fire speed,” Premier David Eby said at an evacuation reception centre in Penticton. He said the blaze outpaced wildfire modelling and left some residents with little time to escape.

The fire's rapid growth has been driven by dry vegetation, gusty winds and unseasonably high temperatures, according to officials. Evacuation orders covered several communities in the Okanagan Valley, forcing thousands to leave at short notice. Crews are now clearing vegetation to slow the spread, even as weather forecasts warn that thunderstorms could bring erratic winds and increase fire activity. Highway 97, a major route through the region, remains closed.

Damage assessment teams have begun their work, but the area remains unsafe, and officials have said there is no timeline for residents to return. At the Penticton reception centre, Mr. Eby said he met people devastated by the loss of their homes. “A lot of emotions in there, obviously,” he told reporters, calling the woman's death a “tragic loss.”

Summerland pharmacist Jonathan Kiesman said he was worried about displaced patients getting access to their medications. Watching the fire approach the community, he said, “almost brought tears to my eyes.”

Officials are withholding broader details on property losses until residents can be notified directly. “The last thing that I would want is somebody to have the shock of finding out on social media or on television about their home being lost,” British Columbia Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said.

Mr. Eby said the province would review its response, including whether changes are needed to wildfire planning, building standards and vegetation management near communities. Given the drought and summer heat, he warned, “this is very unlikely to be the last significant fire we see this summer.”

Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes cautioned that recovery would be long and difficult.

Canada has endured a series of severe wildfire seasons in recent years, with smoke routinely drifting into the United States. In 2023, record-setting fires burned more than 14.6 million hectares (36 million acres), an area roughly the size of Illinois.

The country has warmed faster than the global average in recent decades, and the amount of land consumed by wildfires has risen substantially. Much of Canada's forest is remote and dominated by spruce and pine — conditions that can make fires difficult to contain once they take hold.