Summerland expects to downgrade its final evacuation orders Friday, allowing residents of about 80 properties to return to a wildfire-damaged area where electricity may not be fully restored until Wednesday, chief administrative officer Graham Statt said.
About 450 properties in the District of Summerland could be cleared for re-entry Thursday afternoon as officials prepare to downgrade evacuation orders across much of the community.
The theft of critical suppression equipment, including pumps, is hampering crews at the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland, the B.C. Wildfire Service said Wednesday.
The operators of a Summerland wildlife rehabilitation centre destroyed by the Bald Range wildfire hope to rebuild by next spring after safely evacuating the animals in their care.
Summerland wineries and fruit growers are assessing potential crop losses after a fast-moving wildfire forced evacuations at the height of harvest season.
The Bald Range wildfire has grown to 18,450 hectares as crews work to strengthen containment lines and prepare for thunderstorms that could increase fire activity, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Frustration is growing among Summerland evacuees who want to know when they can return home, but emergency officials said Tuesday the volatility of the Bald Range wildfire makes it impossible to give them a firm timeline.
The chief of the Penticton Indian Band is urging the provincial and federal governments to prioritize wildfire preparedness to help protect communities across B.C., including those in the Okanagan threatened by increasingly large fires.
Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes is warning evacuated residents to brace themselves for what they may find when they return home, saying the community already knows people who have lost homes.
Summerland evacuee Shea MacDonald says uncertainty over what he and his neighbours will find when they return home has been one of the hardest parts of being forced out by the Bald Range wildfire.
The Bald Range wildfire grew to an estimated 15,590 hectares Monday morning, according to BC Wildfire Service, while evacuation orders issued by local authorities kept thousands of South Okanagan residents away from their homes.
A potentially powerful El Niño could worsen drought conditions across B.C., prompting calls for stronger water protection measures from the next provincial government.
A potentially powerful El Niño could worsen drought conditions across B.C., prompting calls for stronger water protection measures from the next provincial government.
B.C.'s major political parties are pitching tax cuts, frozen auto insurance rates and education improvements as the provincial election campaign continues.
