Bald Range wildfire grows to over 22,000 hectares, crews battle strong fire behavior

The Bald Range wildfire continues to rage out of control near Summerland and Peachland, British Columbia. Overnight, strong winds and low humidity fueled significant fire behavior, especially along the southwestern flank. The blaze has now expanded to over 22,000 hectares.

Crews are finding the fire particularly stubborn in the challenging, hard-to-reach terrain of the southern and western sections. While Highway 97 remains open, the situation is dynamic. The Summerland Secondary School field, previously used as a helicopter landing zone, will cease operations by August 21 to accommodate returning residents. Air operations will move to Penticton Airport.

The Summerland Arena and Curling Club has served as the Incident Command Post. This post will also relocate to Okanagan Falls within the next week to free up space for community members. The BC Wildfire Service advises nearby residents that smoldering ground fire and smoke within the fire perimeter are expected for weeks, which is typical and not a cause for concern.

Conditions on Friday and Saturday could worsen with potential for strong winds and temperatures rising into the 30s, accompanied by low humidity around 15 percent. On Wednesday, crews successfully conducted controlled ignitions along the south flank northeast of Isintok Lake to establish containment lines. Further small-scale ignitions will be assessed and conducted as conditions permit.