B.C. wildfire destroys or damages 150 structures; health officer to brief on smoke

A B.C. wildfire has destroyed or damaged about 150 structures, with the District of Summerland accounting for roughly 40 of them, according to the chief administrative officer.

The remaining damage spans nearby areas of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, including Faulder, where homes have been reduced to blackened foundations. More than 120 wildfires are burning across B.C., including blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee. 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.

B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is set to hold a news conference August 19, alongside Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene and Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, as much of the southern half of the province remains blanketed in wildfire smoke.

Agriculture Minister Lana Popham urged British Columbians to support affected businesses. "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.," she said.