Okanagan Lake wildfire doubles in size; 8,500 properties face evacuation across B.C.

The Bradley Creek wildfire in B.C.'s North Okanagan more than doubled in size overnight, growing from roughly 10 square kilometres to 26, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. The rapid expansion prompted fresh evacuation orders affecting thousands of residents in communities along the northern end of Okanagan Lake, including the main reserve of the Okanagan Indian Band, the town of Spallumcheen, and Splatsin First Nation.

Around midnight Sunday, August 2, the City of Armstrong issued an evacuation alert affecting 15 properties, while the Columbia Shuswap Regional District also issued an evacuation alert covering roughly 128 properties.

Further south, the Quilpituk Creek wildfire—discovered Saturday—prompted the Central Okanagan Regional District to expand an evacuation order affecting 28 properties north of Nahun and south of La Casa, roughly 30 kilometres north of Kelowna.

As of 9 a.m. PT Sunday, the B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness reported 42 evacuation orders affecting about 4,000 properties and 40 evacuation alerts covering another 4,500 properties across the province—up sharply from about 2,900 properties under evacuation orders and 2,800 under alerts at 1 p.m. PT Saturday.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said 31 new wildfires started across the province in the past 24 hours, while crews declared nine extinguished. The Pear Lake fire, part of the Big Bar Complex southwest of Clinton, remains the largest active wildfire in the province at roughly 1,039 square kilometres.

In a Sunday morning update, the BCWS noted that cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and lighter winds would reduce fire behaviour intensity. However, fuels remain heavily impacted by drought, and if conditions turn sunny, the region remains highly susceptible to ignition and increased activity.