The Bald Range wildfire is forcing dozens of foreign workers hired by Okanagan farms to head home early.

They were evacuated from Summerland in a helicopter before struggling through bureaucratic hold-ups at evacuation centres earlier this month. They’re taking a plane back to Mexico before harvest is finished, according to the non-profit Kelowna Community Resources.

Migrant outreach worker Byron Bucardo said the evacuation was a “scary, traumatic experience,” made worse by bouncing between shelters to find a bed.

The 47 workers could only grab their phones and passports before loading into helicopters to be evacuated.

Their stays were refused at a Penticton shelter on the night of Aug. 7 before heading back through Summerland to West Kelowna Arena.

“Although they did feel welcomed here, they were again told that the shelter was for BC residents and so they would only be able to stay for two nights maximum,” Bucardo said in a news release.

Help from BC’s agriculture minister got the workers an extra night of shelter and food to last them until they were relocated, but they won’t be staying in Canada.

“Their employer tried to help them locate other positions, but there are none available so they have to go home, without the money they were expecting to bring for their families,” Bucardo said.

The BC Fruit Grower’s Association previously told iNFOnews.ca other farm workers managed to find shelter at Penticton churches, but their status as non-BC residents left them with few options for emergency support. Temporary foreign worker rules also restrict them from finding work with other employers.

According to the non-profit, at least 47 workers are now heading back to Mexico months before they planned and without many of their belongings.

The BC Migrant Workers Centre said workers can sometimes be eligible for BC services cards, allowing them to access emergency services, but suggested they should be enrolled upon coming into the province rather than waiting the several months that’s typically required.

“What I see here is a failure of the support system surrounding these workers and the employer. When people are displaced or experiencing a crisis, they should not be left to figure out housing,” intake manager Lorena Ordoñez said.

The wildfire has disrupted fruit harvests in the area, but it’s not clear yet how extensive the crop losses are for Summerland orchardists.

Since it was discovered on Aug. 7, the Bald Range wildfire has grown to 24,100 hectares and burned around 150 structures.