Overview
- The Bradley Creek fire near the north end of Okanagan Lake grew to roughly 26 square kilometres and remains out of control after rapid expansion over the weekend.
- Authorities ordered large-scale evacuations that affected thousands of people, with officials estimating about 5,000 evacuees and hundreds of evacuation orders and alerts covering thousands of properties.
- Gusts far above forecasts — crews reported sustained winds near 80 km/h and up to 115 km/h at elevation — made aircraft and crews unable to hold the fire and pushed flames across roads and to the lake shoreline.
- The province has mobilized major resources including heavy aviation, more than 500 contractors and over 300 firefighters from Mexico joining BC crews, while cooler, more humid weather has temporarily eased fire behaviour.
- Damage verification is incomplete because many areas remain unsafe to enter, local leaders report power and water infrastructure damage, and officials warn drought‑affected fuels leave the region vulnerable to renewed growth.