'Total incinerated destruction': Canada wildfire evacuees wonder if they still have homes
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- Bald Range wildfire broke out Friday in British Columbia's Okanagan and grew within hours to 53 sq miles (136 sq km), forcing more than 12,000 residents under evacuation order as the blaze remains out of control.
- An 80-year-old woman died while attempting to flee the fire, police confirmed Sunday.
- British Columbia has more than 100 wildfires burning as of Monday, with 70 igniting in the past week alone, prompting Premier David Eby to declare a state of emergency and warn that fires are moving 'incredibly quickly.'
- Resident Keegan Radomski, 18, told the BBC she barely escaped with her mother's ashes as flames breached her family's Summerland property, built by her grandmother 30 years ago.
- The preceding Bradley Creek fire in the Okanagan is believed to have destroyed more than 200 homes and is now being held by crews after 'tireless work' to contain it.
- Okanagan Lake is at its lowest level since 1992 due to extreme drought, per the Okanagan Basin Water Board, compounding fire intensity across the region.
Why it matters: With 70 new fires igniting in British Columbia in a single week and the Okanagan at a 30-year drought low, the province is on track to match or exceed its record-breaking 2023 season—meaning the 12,000 evacuees face not just immediate displacement but a recurring annual pattern of climate-driven destruction.
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