About 150 structures damaged or lost to wildfire in and around Summerland, B.C.

VANCOUVER — Officials in British Columbia’s Okanagan region say a wildfire that roared down on the community of Summerland this month destroyed or damaged about 150 structures.

Graham Statt, chief administrative officer for the District of Summerland, says the count includes about 40 structures in his community.

More than 100 others were damaged or lost in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, including in Faulder, where numerous homes have been reduced to blackened foundations.

Statt told a district livestream late Monday that 150 structures is a preliminary number and damage assessments typically increase over time.

“Everyone we can get a hold of, or has contacted us back, we’ve had conversations with. We have counselling available for those individuals,” he said.

“We go on-site with them if they wish to do so, and if they don’t wish to do so, we offer photographs or other things for their use.”

Erick Thompson, a spokesperson for the regional district, said during the livestream that there are also stories of firefighters being able to protect some homes.

“What I saw in Summerland, in particular, was I saw homes where the hills around it were blackened, but the homes were there, and they were blackened because the fire was coming down, and the firefighters saved those structures,” he said.

“That’s an incredible, incredible story.”

Residents are being allowed back to their properties in stages. As of Monday, evacuation orders had been lifted for about 1,200 properties, while the regional district and Summerland were expected to lift more orders on Tuesday.

More than 20,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes on Aug. 7 as the Bald Range fire swept through the region.

Statt said the decision on when to lift evacuation orders is made based on factors, including whether utilities are ready, if there are dangerous trees in the way, or if there are concerns about the stability of slopes in an area.

The first official damage assessment for the Bald Range fire, west of Okanagan Lake, comes as provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is set to hold a news conference on wildfire and smoke conditions.

The news conference today is also to include Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene and Forests Minister Ravi Parmar.

Orange and yellow air quality warnings cover a large swath of the province, as major fires burn near Boston Bar and in the Cariboo and Okanagan regions.

Agriculture Minister Lana Popham says British Columbians should support businesses affected by the fires, with more than 120 burning across B.C.

She says this is the most important time of the year for businesses that have instead faced evacuations, road closures, smoke and other disruptions to operations.

“As families, workers and small businesses in Summerland and across the Okanagan continue to respond to and recover from wildfires and evacuations, British Columbians have a simple way to show their support for affected farmers: look for local and to buy B.C.,” Popham said in a statement Monday.

The destruction in and around Summerland adds to more than 230 homes that were damaged or lost further north around Okanagan Lake due to the Bradley Creek fire that has been held.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2026.