On Thursday, Aug. 27, the Government of B.C. ended the provincial state of emergency which was initially declared due to the wildfires that have been raging through the province. In their statement on their website, the government explained that the state of provincial emergency was set in place to “ensure emergency powers and other tools could be made available quickly if needed.”
Although the emergency powers ultimately were not needed, the government also warned that the risk of wildfire is still elevated through much of the province and advised people to remain prepared.
B.C. Premier David Eby declared a province-wide state of emergency to be put into effect in an official statement on the afternoon of Aug. 8 after the fires in the South Okanagan had intensified. As a result, all residents of Summerland and the surrounding areas were ordered to evacuate. This included the 12,000 residents of Summerland, and the 9,700 in surrounding areas like Peachland — bringing the total to around 22,000 evacuees.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the Bald Ridge fire was reported on Aug. 7 just west of Summerland and was approximately 25,163.2 hectares. The CBC also reported that the fire in Bald Range near Summerland has been one of the most devastating this season, with around 150 buildings burned or demolished, which has led to thousands of people evacuating the area. On Aug. 9 the Penticton RCMP confirmed the death of an 80-year-old woman who had died while trying to escape.
CTV reported on Aug. 19 that over 90 per cent of Summerland residents were allowed to go home ten days following the evacuations. However, due to the sheer damage caused by the fire, some lost their homes and businesses altogether.
This 2026 wildfire season has reportedly been one of the most destructive in British Columbia, with more than 500 buildings being damaged or destroyed. The Government of Canada announced in their Aug. 18 news release that there’s been a total of 4,793 fires, with over 4.1 million hectares affected and they predict that the wildfire risk in September will be above average across the country. However, “large fires and significant fire growth are not necessarily expected.”
Numerous other communities around the province have been affected by the 2026 wildfires. The Bradley Creek wildfire, which Global News reported starting on July 31, and burned over 2,800 hectares of land, destroying around 230 homes. In an interview with Global News, the Chief of the Okanagan Indian Band, Dan Wilson described the aftermath as looking like a “war zone.”
The Canadian Red Cross stated on Aug. 30 that thousands in the province are still under evacuation orders and alerts and the BC Wildfire Service continues to keep a list of active wildfires in the province on their website in order to keep people up to date.
This is a developing story and The Cascade will continue to report on this topic as updates occur.
