More than 12,000 residents of Summerland, B.C., have been ordered to leave the community as the rapidly growing Bald Range wildfire threatens the South Okanagan municipality.
The District of Summerland expanded its evacuation order to the entire community at 12:10 a.m. Saturday. Residents have been told to leave immediately. The district has also declared a state of local emergency because of the wildfire.
The order marks a dramatic escalation of a wildfire that was estimated at about 50 hectares early Friday evening before growing to 1,000 hectares by about 7:30 p.m. and 5,000 hectares by 9 p.m.
BC Wildfire Service had earlier classified its fire behaviour as rank 5, which can include a fast-moving organized flame front and moderate- to long-range spotting.
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen information officer Erick Thompson described the speed of the fire earlier Friday as among the fastest he had encountered.
“We’ve dealt with major fires here before, but this, from what I can recall, is one of the quickest-moving, largest fires in such a short time. That is why information will be key. Don’t rely on Facebook if you don’t know if the information is confirmed from official sources.”
55 people airlifted
About 55 people were airlifted from affected areas, including Faulder, as evacuation orders expanded Friday night, according to the RDOS.
Evacuation orders and alerts also expanded north toward Peachland. Properties in the Brent Road and Log Chute Road areas south of Peachland were placed under evacuation order Friday night, while evacuation alerts were issued for other areas of Peachland. Central Okanagan Emergency Management said late Friday that orders covering 49 properties and alerts affecting 762 properties would remain in place overnight.
Earlier evacuation orders covered Faulder and areas west of Summerland, with a B.C. Emergency Alert warning Friday evening that the Bald Range wildfire posed a significant risk to life.
The fire is also affecting Summerland’s water system. The district issued a boil-water notice after bypassing its water treatment plant to protect water flows needed for firefighting. The district said the treatment plant was under threat because of the fire’s proximity and untreated water had entered the system.
The Summerland evacuation order lists reception centres at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, 273 Power St.; 550 Eckhardt Ave. W. in Penticton; and the Westbank Lions Community Hall, 2466 Main St. in West Kelowna.
Residents are being urged to follow instructions from emergency officials and use official emergency information for the latest evacuation orders and alerts.
