The Bald Range wildfire has left thousands of evacuees in British Columbia wondering whether their homes are still standing after the fire raced through the Okanagan region and forced a broad evacuation. In Peachland and nearby Summerland, residents returned to find neighborhoods transformed by ash, smoke and burned-out ground as officials worked Monday to gauge the damage.
Earl Kurz, who has lived in Peachland with his wife for 30 years, said wildfires had long been part of life in the area. This time was different. He said the destruction was so complete that the burned sections looked like nothing more than bare ground covered in ash. Officials in British Columbia have not yet determined how many homes were lost, while the Bald Range wildfire remained out of control on Monday. More than 12,000 residents were still under evacuation orders, and police said an 80-year-old woman died while trying to escape the fire on Sunday.
The Bald Range wildfire broke out on Friday and expanded within hours to 53 square miles, or 136 square kilometers. The speed of that spread caught many residents off guard, even in a region where wildfire seasons are familiar and evacuation alerts are common. Keegan Radomski, 18, said she barely got out with her motherβs ashes before flames reached her property in Summerland, a town on Okanagan Lake just south of Peachland. She said the family home was built by her grandmother 30 years ago, and she still did not know whether it survived.
Radomski said smoke was visible during dinner on Friday evening, but the situation changed fast. Within less than four hours, she said she was rushing to get everyone out as fire moved up a hill on her property. Her account reflects the speed and intensity of the wildfire, which left many families with little time to pack belongings or check on neighbors before leaving. The uncertainty has added to the strain for people who have spent years, and in some cases decades, building lives in the Okanagan.
