B.C. declared a provincial state of emergency as a fast-moving wildfire in the Okanagan forced thousands from their homes and officials warned of extremely dangerous fire conditions.
Premier David Eby announced the declaration Saturday afternoon, saying the rapidly growing Bald Range fire marks a significant shift in the province’s wildfire situation.
He said the lead commander on the fire, who had been up all night, described it as being “like a bomb going off in the Summerland region.”
Homes and other properties have been destroyed, while some people were trapped as conditions changed rapidly and had to be rescued, Eby said.
“Right now our full focus is saving lives and supporting rescue efforts,” Eby said.
Air evacuations are underway for people cut off by the fire, while emergency crews continue search-and-rescue operations.
Crews worked through the night alongside local fire departments, RCMP, search-and-rescue teams and other emergency responders. Firefighting aircraft were also repurposed to evacuate people trapped behind fire lines.
The province says 18 aircraft have been used to rescue more than 50 people from the fire.
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Eby said he has also spoken with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who pledged the federal government’s full support.
The Bald Range wildfire spread rapidly toward Summerland on Friday, triggering large-scale evacuations across the South Okanagan.
More than 20,000 people across B.C. have now been forced from their homes, according to provincial emergency officials, making it the largest evacuation event in the province so far this summer.
Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said the state of emergency will give the province additional powers that can be used quickly if needed, including securing accommodations or imposing local travel restrictions.
No travel restrictions are currently in place, but the province is asking people to avoid non-essential travel to Summerland and other affected communities.
Eby said the declaration could also allow the province to restrict travel, prevent price gouging or ration fuel if necessary. The state of emergency does not unlock additional firefighting resources or funding, officials said.
Highway 97 was closed as the fire spread and evacuation routes were affected. In some cases, people became isolated by the flames and had to be rescued, according to Eby.
BC Wildfire Service director of provincial operations Cliff Chapman described the fire as one of the most challenging the agency has faced.
Conditions across B.C.’s southern Interior are extremely volatile.
Chapman warned there will be more evacuation orders this fire season as conditions deteriorate and said officials expect to remain in an intense wildfire response through the rest of August and into September.
There have been 70 new wildfires in B.C. over the past seven days, with 105 active fires burning across the province as of Saturday morning.
More than 2,000 personnel are involved in the response, including around 500 firefighters and incident management personnel from outside B.C. are also in the province, including resources from elsewhere in Canada, Mexico and Australia.
Officials said those crews had been requested before the Bald Range fire erupted in anticipation of worsening conditions.
The province is urging anyone under an evacuation order to leave immediately and those under an alert to be prepared to go.
Officials are also urging anyone who can help family and friends have a place to stay to “please do so, as it allows us to dedicate resources to those who are more vulnerable.”
– With files from The Canadian Press
The ESS locally prepared volunteers for this, yet many came from other areas to help as we were evacuated ourselves. This overwhelms the hotels, accomidations and airports and we need to offer that to the firefighters and first responders and evacuees not volunteers or burocrats coming from other places. Destination BC must Educate tourists and inform them of fines for making fires camps here in summer, from smoking outdoors, and Arsonists belong to a mental health facility and or jail. Enough is enough!
We all must see the Okanagan region as a valuable Provincial and National treasure that must be protected by locals, First Nations, governments and BC and Canadian residents that own homes or cottages here.
May the rebuild consider the dangers of bottlenecks as we here in Peachland have endured before. They close the highways and we can’t leave. They close the airports and we cannot fly to family living in the coast. SUMMERLAND IS a national treasure and we pledge that the rebuilding respects the community desire to keep Summerland a glorious Farmers and Winery community that we all love. Thank you Premier Eby and all the First responders, volunteers, firefighters, the Mexican Firefighters, here we are praying for you and the people of Summerland and Oenticton, the First Nations Communities affected in West side Road, Vernon and Here in Central and Southern Okanagan.
Thank you
It’s not climate change or lightning strikes…it’s Albertans!!!!
Look up “ B.C. wildfire evacuees told to brace for devastation, as RCMP launch criminal probe”. This is not climate change or lightning strikes.
@Jay Voorhees. That is not true. If someone sees through the socialist liberal government’s lies, this does not make them a conservative.
Okay, everybody, line up and pee on the fires
Meanwhile Conservatives don’t even believe climate change exists. Well… until their home burns down and then they believe it exists. Or like most of the commenters on here they just blame the Liberals and the NDP. F**king idiots
Better late then never BUT they knew it was going to be an extremely dangerous summer for wildfires. Should have been declared earlier and they should have banned all back country activities, at least for a few weeks.
No Pat, it is due to political retardation. I am not saying – don’t evacuate or don’t declare an emergency – I am saying this should have been treated as a state of emergency from day one and that it has not, is gross negligence causing death and millions in destruction.
The growing credit card scam is Liberal immigration policy.
Look you morons, Declaring a State of Emergency allows the Government to stop price gouging food, gasoline and stop people from visiting areas that are evacuated.
Anyone who attempts to convince others that the wildfire situation is due to political incompetency is stupid. By the way, Coulson’s big planes are in the middle of construction on the Island and the Mars bombers are no longer viable due to age and lack of parts. It’s got nothing to do with politics.
Mark Carn-ey is doing a great job steering us on the right path. Canada has never had it so good. The Federal Government has your back and will resume meetings to decide how best to address the wildfires, after his trip to Italy. Just be patient, it’s just a little while, not forever.
UK, Australia, US, France all have the same problem but the conservatives who are blinded by petty partisanship blame Carney.
If correct Nigel, it is shameful.
@ alberta patriot….you guys can’t make up your mind what you are or want?! Canadian,/ american/ independent?
~ Hot girls are waiting for you on – – Meet4.fun
Canada’s forestry (mis)management is the problem. Toothpick forests catch fire/spread allot easier than old-growth and they’re still happily cutting down all our old growth forests. But you walk into any store and a 2×4 is $5/each and gov still has to subsidize it. Canada’s nothing but trees but try and find a plantation older than 200 years.
Why didn’t premier “act” faster too the wildfires…?
I heard Carney is vacationing in Italy next week while a state of emergency is called in BC. Talk about priorities and privilege.
Does anyone know what could possibly be causing the significant increase in forest fires??? We asked PresDJTrump and he said we need to clean our forests.
Of course the water bomber Justin Tru-DOH and Carney promised years ago are nowhere to be found. Just like Carneys so called trade deal with the USA.
Eby probably wants Alberta to pay for the fighting of the fires as B.C. is so poor and has no money.
Eby must have been waiting for permission from his “advisors of all decisions,the First Nations” to act.
The Neo Destruction Party is completely useless in this Province.
guess Prisha reporter was not here in 2002 or did not do any research on Kelowna fires
Interesting how all the highways turn bad condition when you cross the border from Alberta to B.C. Like going into a third world country.
At B.C. Res In your analogy then BC would be a trans male.
Quite wrong AB Electrician. Perhaps if AB stopped transferring money to have have not provinces like BC and Quebec we would have a wealth fund. Where is Carney wealth fund or really a debt fund.
@Ann Had our PROVINCE Alberta, which gets more royalties than Canada, raised its royalties, stopped spending like a drunken sailor in good times, and not cut taxes to corporations, we would have a huge soverign wealth fund now.
I see MAGA traitors telling people not to read global main stream news, yet they’re here reading global news. Im sure it gets tiring reading made up news.
Alberta is dillusional and always has been . Like the fat chick that thinls she’s a super model!
It’s about time Eby came out of hiding and declared a state of Emergency but it doesn’t unlock additional firefighting resources or funding how bad does it have to get for additional firefighting resources and funding. Maybe it the fires haven’t threatened the lower mainland before any more resources and funding will appear.
Ex Alberta Resident – Norway is a COUNTRY, Alberta is a province that supports the rest of Canada. Too bad your comment failed as you have no knowledge. We’re glad you’re in BC.
Every time I drive from Grande Prairie and go to Dawson Creek/FSJ it feel like third once you cross it he border going into B.C. AB is superior.
AB Resident
August 9, 2026 at 2:09 am
All the BC kids come to Ab for good paying jobs There isn’t any in BC.Socialism that is totally failing. All of East BC wants to be AB.
Apart from oil there is about Alberta to like. The people are all separatists azzholes and abuse animals. Go f8ck yourself.
Its about time you st*pid b*stard Eby!! But hes already mae it pretty clear all they are doing is making sure evacuees have a place to go, which is cool. How about some f8cking money!!?/ How about some f8ckin military help azzhole!!
@AB resident. They come to Alberta for good paying jobs until the oil boom is over. It’s pathetic that Norway has a trillion invested in a sovereign fund from their oil while Alberta has nothing. Boom and bust that’s what mismanaged Alberta is known for.
No true BC actually WANTS to be an Albertan!! Lol…that’s a good one!
All the BC kids come to Ab for good paying jobs There isn’t any in BC.Socialism that is totally failing. All of East BC wants to be AB.
If this was AB we would have this under control. We pull the trigger out here unlike in NDP BC where they can even mobilize.
@ab resident…love it…weeds people out who cant handle it. If it’s such a sh#thole then why did half of Alberta move here? Your more than welcome to convince to go back home!
Does it mean Ebs has full power to implement any law he sees fit. Maybe election meddling? Home noes
Eby should have been paying closer attention to their forest management program and planning for fire season this spring instead of acting like a spoilt child when he banned the import of US spirits, wine and beer from BC liquor stores because of a tiff with Trump. He further wanted to put a toll on US truckers travelling through BC to Alaska with food and supplies.
I’m no Eby fan but the forest management experts 😆 who blame him are just partisan hacks.
BC is garbage
David Eby,
You should have been addressing wildfires at the start of them, rather than giving aquired, paid for properties to descendants of those who forfeited more than 100 years ago!! You are doing nothing less than decieving to manipulate votes, rather than doing what is right for the prosperity of our province!!
Sincerely,
Roy Heiman
Geebo probably started the fires by Kelowna
@BC Resident. Enjoy the high price of fuel, alcohol, taxes, etc. BC = Bring cash.
The word, polit ician, was being blocked by this site.
That’s what being a polit-ician is all about. Endless vacations, zero liability, chauffeurs, the finest cuts of sirloin and French wine provided by airline catering, multi-thousand dollar per night stays at 5-star hotels, and you get to spin the news to boost your stock investments.
Apparently Carney is taking a “vacation” in Italy next week. Seems outrageous considering the fires and emergencies in Canada at the moment. We don’t need a part time leader.
Albertans f# ck up everything they touch…from highway accidents to forest fires.
Quit blaming BC and the govt!
Who caused these fires? Whif they arrest? Only one answer…intentionally or accidentally!
Thanks Alberta!!!
if eby the elbows up goof understood that the liberal government was so corrupt that instead of having a disaster plan in place and have billions of dollars put aside in the event that something like this should happen, , just give it away to Ukraine and support millions of criminals from India
Eby and Carney regimes are to blame
for this. Poor forest management and a day late and a dollar short on the fire fighting response.
Socialist incompetence is really detrimental to Canada.
Took long enough. Scumbags.
Asholes of the planet commenting on here, folks
The AI bot is blocking comments. What I tried to post was that Eby and this government do not have our best interests in mind. Apparently, the site is programmed to favour posts with a liberal slant.
Glenn you are right. Also, all the reserves sell cheap smokes that burn like firecrackers. Payback for the HBC blankets. This is a war. People need to wake up.
David Eby needs to be ousted. His lack of proactive effort is the cause of this emergency. Victoria bean counters feeding BC with an eyedropper. This is not the first time he let us burn while spending billions on his local property deals. He’s a lawyer and a spin doctor. August 8 is too late to get out the mower.
Because Eby is one disaster after another .
Seems France got their fires in control. BC seems incapable to do so. I blame Eby.
It’s hilarious listening to non experts who know nothing about forest management and blame government. And you thought these fires were easily extinguishable, why didn’t US, UK, France, Australia, etc do that.
@NeverCon,
You look like a liberal bot, because you push for censorship and silencing people.
I hope Trump punishes BC/Canada for letting the fires get out of control and pollute the air that comes down into the USA. Eby has done a terrible job.
you know the Liberals made all sorts of promises when we had the big Kelowna fire several years back. They promosed more water bombers etc. I’m thinking instead of a bunch of expensive submarines to fight the non existent enemy we should be getting some decent water dropping equipment which is maintained and on standby 24-7. The Liberals are great at saying we have your back but nothing ever changes. If they would have reacted when we had that horrible summer of the big Kelowna blaze we might not be scranbling now,
Like every other liberal, I think everyon who disagrees with my brainwashed ideas is a bot. Furthermore. I love my censorship goverment daddy overlords and think all public opinion should be banned.
Russian/chinese troll bots all over these kind of news stories. No point arguing with a bot. Global should disable comments
Im starting to wonder to if all these fires are deliberately started so Carney and Eby can push their global warming and climate change agenda .
The comments here are disgusting
David Eby is such an incompetent idiot. 2 weeks late. He should be toasted immediately! Mind boggling how his ultra left wing pea brain works.
So where are the infamous Aboriginals (so called First Nations) in the fighting of fires, fixing housing & water, etc., seeing as they claim to be “The” keepers of the Earth???? Such a farce!! They won’t help but squawk to get us to help them because, after all, they are First Nation and not of Canada unless for the benefits and privileges!! Pity!!!
This is so sad!!
Now is when you see how socialists work when there is a crisis. Flaccid people can only “lead” when the sun is shining.
Absolute incompetence and buffoonery.
A little late they should have done that a week ago.
Wow. He should be removed .incompetent 2.0
Utterly useless human
Eby is absolutely incompetent. As a person from NE BC is pains me to such a socialist in power. Perhaps if he wasn’t so busy with blocking resource projects and extreme gender ideology/pronouns he might have more time with the important issues for the province.
I wonder if you know that the mic is on and people are listening to the conversation as we wait to hear the premier speak?