No growth on Summerland’s Bald Range wildfire, evaction orders remain
Published 7:02 pm Sunday, August 23, 2026
UPDATE: 6:45 p.m.
The Bald Range wildfire 15 kilometres west of Summerland remains at 25,021 hectares, despite gusty winds on Sunday.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the fire behaviour remained lower than in previous days, thanks to rain from Saturday’s thunderstorm, which added moisture to forest fuels.
“The northern parts of the Bald Range fire received 6 to 7 mm of rain yesterday, however, the south of the fire received minimal rain,” stated BCWS.
However, starting Monday, the Okanagan will enter another period of warming and drying. BCWS says area residents can expect to see increased fire behaviour and activity to the south and west.
“We are maintaining 24-hour operations, including ground crews, structure protection personnel, heavy equipment and aviation resources,” explained BCWS.
On Sunday, “372 firefighting personnel are working on site, split between day and night shifts, along with 79 pieces of heavy equipment and 38 structure protection personnel.”
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) also issued an update Sunday evening to state it is working closely with provincial partners to support the safe return of Faulder and Meadow Valley residents as soon as conditions allow.
Several areas remain under evacuation orders and alerts; click here for a detailed map of the area.
Residents who have returned home are encouraged to review the re-entry guide for information on food and appliance disposal.
Highway 97 between Penticton and Peachland remains open.
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ORIGINAL:
Cooler weather brought on by last night’s storms will provide some respite from high fire activity on the Bald Range wildfire.
Around six to seven mm of rain fell on the north side of the fire – which remains ‘out-of-control at an estimated 25,021 hectares in size – which assisted firefighting efforts on that flank, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).
The blaze is still expected to be active on the fire’s southern and western flanks, as the south received “minimal” rain during yesterday’s thunderstorm.
Fire activity on Saturday night, Aug. 22 saw Rank 1 and Rank 2 behaviour on active flanks.
Sunday, Aug. 23 is also predicted to have cool, windy and humid weather “which will moderate fire behaviour along active flanks over the short term.”
Looking to Aug. 24, the region is expected to enter another “warming and drying” trend which could increase fire activity and behaviour on the south and west as fine fuels dry out.
Operations
Crews seem to be making good progress on the north-end of the fire, as operations on this flank are “nearing completion” as they continue to conduct mop up and patrols.
To the west, more crews will be supporting BCWS’ heavy equipment task force on building a contingency line further from the fire’s edge.
In the south, crews are focusing to suppress the fire in the Brent Mountain Protected Area.
“We are building a contingency line south of Isintok Lake and west of Brent Mountain as a precautionary measure; should fire activity challenge our primary control lines,” BCWS said in an update.
“Structure protection mop up around homes and other values in Summerland and surrounding areas has been completed. Ground crews will continue to patrol these areas and douse any hotspots. Thermal scans will be used to identify areas of heat.”
Overall, BCWS are maintaining 24-hour operations with ground crews, structure protection personnel, heavy equipment and aviation resources (bucketing helicopters, night-vision equipped helicopters, and airtanker support).