Planned ignition aims to reduce fuel around wildfire near Peachland, B.C.

Emergency officials in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley say a wildfire that had forced residents out of their homes between Thursday and Saturday showed no growth overnight, though it is still classified as burning out of control.

A statement from Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says BC Wildfire Service crews were preparing to conduct a planned ignition to secure the southeast edge of the blaze, called Munro Lake wildfire, near Peachland.

The agency says the primary goal of Sunday’s operation was to remove fuel between the edge of the fire and established control lines.

An update posted to the wildfire service’s website says the 54-hectare planned ignition would be done by hand and proceed only if conditions allowed.

It says crews were meanwhile using heavy equipment to construct guards along the northwest flank of the blaze that spans just over three square kilometres.

All of the residents ordered evacuated on Thursday have since been allowed to return home, though they’ve been told to be ready to leave on short notice.

An evacuation order remains in effect for what Central Okanagan Emergency Operations described as an industrial area of Peachland. That order was expanded Sunday evening to include several other properties, including an adventure park. An update from the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says none of the properties under the expanded evacuation order are residential.

The size of the blaze and smoke it was producing could increase with Sunday’s planned ignition, the agency notes.

More than 90 firefighters and five helicopters have been assigned to the fire, which is one of seven classified as burning out of control across B.C. on Sunday.

The suspected cause of the blaze is human activity, the wildfire service says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2025.