Summerland residents return as damage checks finish and wildfire threat lingers

Mayor Doug Holmes announced that damage assessments for the Bald Range wildfire, which forced the evacuation of thousands in the south Okanagan, are now finished, enabling many residents to return. Roughly 22 percent of the 5,500 properties that were ordered to evacuate have been downgraded to alert status, though officials stress that wind changes could alter the fire's behavior at any moment. The B.C. Wildfire Service reported lingering smoke across central and southern regions and forecast hotter, drier conditions for the coming week, except in the far northwest.

Over 120 fires, mostly lightning-started, remain active across the province, with the Pear Lake fire near Clinton exceeding 1,590 square kilometres. The Brunswick Creek fire complex near Boston Bar continues to burn, keeping Highway 1 closed. Firefighters from other Canadian provinces and abroad, such as a 40-person Australia-New Zealand contingent led by Blake Ross, are assisting in containment efforts.