More than 1,300 firefighters are battling wildfires in British Columbia, including recent fires that spread around northern Okanagan Lake during a windstorm on Saturday, forcing thousands of residents, while fires destroyed hundreds of homes.
Here is what some evacuees, fire and government officials are saying about the experience:
“Coming around the corner, you could see this orange glow going up the hill. It was lit up like you thought it would be a movie location or something, how bright it was.”
— Evacuee Atlyn Becker, on what she saw out the window of her truck while driving away from her home near Okanagan Lake
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“From where we were sitting, we could see propane tanks exploding and the black smoke. You know it’s a house going up and not just the grass fire or a treed area.”
— Evacuee Gord Ross said while describing how the flames spread from his home near the lake.
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“I’ve been living here all my life, and I’ve really never seen anything like this one here, this weekend here.”
— Louis Fred, on the extreme winds that blew through his home on the Okanagan Indian Band reserve causing embers to singe his son’s hair.
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“(It was) devastating. It looked like a war zone. It was hard to recognize my community from the air with all the structures and the forest gone.”
— Okanagan Indian Band Chief Dan Wilson after getting an aerial view of the community where about 230 homes have been lost
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“We had reports … of people saying they they’ve never seen fire perform the way that it did (Saturday) in terms of its growth and the spread potential with those 85 to 100 kilometre winds.”
— Cliff Chapman, director of wildfire operations for the provincial wildfire service, on the winds that propelled the fire spread
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“It’s understandable that people want to do everything that they can to protect their homes. But during an evacuation order, the single most important thing you can do is leave immediately.”
— B.C. Minister of Emergency Management Kelly Greene on the 37 evacuation orders that are in place across the province impacting approximately 8,000 people.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2026
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
