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A new out-of-control wildfire has ignited near Summerland, forcing residents to evacuate with little notice.
The Bald Range wildfire was first reported on Friday afternoon, about 15 kilometres west of the community.
In just the span of a few hours, the blaze grew in size to more than 5,000 hectares.
The BC Wildfire Service says it’s displaying aggressive rank 5 behaviour, with an organized flame front with a fast rate of spread and moderate to long-range spotting.
It also says gusty winds fuelled the quick growth and complicated the firefight for aircraft.
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An evacuation order has been issued for areas west of Summerland, and parts of the community itself.
The area in red is under an evacuation order.
Central Okanagan Emergency Management
Erick Thompson with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen’s emergency operations centre says the fire was first detected at 5:30 p.m.
He says the fast-moving fire poses an immediate threat and those in the evacuation zone from Summerland north to Peachland need to get out in the face of one of the “quickest-moving, fastest-growing” fires the area has ever seen.
Residents in the following area must evacuate to the north.
- 7210 Brent Road to 7100 Brent Road
- 7280 HWY 97S to 6801 HWY 97S
- 307 Log Chute Road to 303 Log Chute Road
This is a developing story…
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