'Significant risk to life': Evacuation orders issued for wildfire near Summerland
A fast-moving wildfire named the Bald Range fire has forced the evacuation of over 20,000 people in Summerland, British Columbia. The fire grew rapidly to 95 square kilometres, prompting a state of emergency and multiple evacuation orders across the region.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the increasing threat of extreme wildfire events to public safety and infrastructure in Western Canada.
Evacuation orders and alerts have been expanded as a fast-moving wildfire races toward Summerland, B.C., forcing more than 20,000 people to evacuate.
The entire District of Summerland was forced to evacuate in the early hours of Saturday morning just after midnight due to the Bald Ridge wildfire.
About an hour later, dozens of properties were ordered to evacuate in Peachland and Electoral Area West on Brenda Mine Road and in the Renfrew and Upper Princeton areas.
Dozens more properties in the Peachland watershed and Brenda Mines area, Lower Princeton, and the downtown core were placed on evacuation alert just after 3 a.m. PT.
Highway 97 is closed in both directions for a stretch between Peachland and the Pyramid Picnic Area at Kickininee Provincial Park, just south of Summerland.
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