PENTICTON — Premier David Eby defended the province’s emergency response to the explosive Bald Range wildfire on Wednesday, calling the system “a hundred times better than it was a couple of years ago” while acknowledging it still fell short for residents who received no evacuation alert, lost homes, or struggled with emergency support services registration.
Speaking to reporters from the Penticton City Hall chambers, Eby said the fire that erupted Friday west of Summerland “outran” Wildfire Service modelling. According to the premier, crews had "no time" for a staged alert-to-order process and pivoted immediately from initial attack to an "old school" evacuation process that involved door-knocking, helicopter extractions, and at least one death.
Asked about residents who reported receiving no emergency alert at all, even as neighbours’ homes burned, Eby said the province is with those affected and “so sorry that this happened.”
“I can tell you, but it’s cold comfort for these folks, that the system is a hundred times better than it was a couple of years ago,” Eby said.
He added that does not mean the system does not still need to be “one hundred times better” for the "next group" facing an emergency, and that feedback from this fire will drive further improvements.
In a fast-moving fire, he said, door-knocking by police, firefighters and Wildfire Service remained the primary method of notification.
“There’s an important set of lessons for us to take about how quickly this moved and that this may be our new normal for fire speed,” Eby said.
He confirmed a full after-action review will follow, bringing together wildfire experts and local leaders who lived through the evacuation.
The fire forced the full evacuation of Summerland and surrounding rural areas including Meadow Valley, Faulder and North Beach. One woman died early in the emergency.
RCMP said the investigation with the BC Coroners Service remains in its early stages and no further public details are likely to be released in the near future, citing sensitivity for family of the deceased.
On federal assistance, a reporter quoted a statement from Ottawa saying that, following province’s request, it had rapidly assessed available federal facilities, provided a list to the province, and was “awaiting the province’s confirmation of its specific needs so that we can move forward to mobilize the appropriate federal support.”
Eby initially pointed to accommodation challenges, particularly for people with pets and in some cases livestock. “We would never turn down federal funding,” he said.
Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene then clarified that the original request was for accommodation and that local hotel capacity is now "meeting current needs after visitors left the area."
The exchange left the Global News reporter audibly confused, as the federal government has indicated it was still waiting for the BC NDP government to confirm its needs, the premier said his government would never deny such assistance, and then, only moments later, Greene contradicted the premier by saying that the specific accommodation support was no longer required.
A Castanet reporter asked when the public and evacuees would be able to see official photos or video of the damage in Summerland, noting that residents remain shut out of the area by authorities and are seeking information on the condition of homes, properties and the broader community.
Eby acknowledged the strong public interest and the risk of misinformation, including AI-generated imagery, circulating in the absence of official visuals. He said the province will share photos, video and other material as conditions allow.
Notably absent from the event was Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, the minister responsible for the BC Wildfire Service who has also been more critical of AI-generated imagery and "misinformation" than of his own government's response.
Parmar, who said he was “hurt” by AI-generated imagery at a separate press conference in Victoria on Tuesday, has been highly visible in recent days providing updates on social media and in other briefings. However, he has also drawn significant scrutiny for previous remarks widely regarded as insensitive, dismissive, and tone-deaf, such as telling British Columbians “don’t be stupid” and responding to criticism from the BC Conservatives by telling them “to fill their boots.”
Penticton Indian Band Chief Greg Gabriel welcomed the premier to "unceded Syilx territory" and urged action on an emergency alternate route out of the area, saying the current reliance on forest service roads must be addressed before more people are hurt. He also called for indigenous involvement in longer-term solutions, including changes to forestry practices and drought mitigation.
Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said the scale of the evacuation was unprecedented for the region and that recovery will exceed municipal and regional district capacity. “This isn’t something we’re going to be able to do on our own,” Holmes said. “We’ll need the government to be there supporting us the same way they’re supporting us now in the response phase.”
RDOS Area F Director Riley Gettens and Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield both emphasized that rural and urban communities are “one big community” and that no one should be forgotten in the recovery phase. Bloomfield noted many city and regional staff are themselves evacuated or have lost homes yet continue working.
Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee struck a notably personal tone. She said the event was unprecedented at this scale in the community and that her heart was with everyone affected — particularly the friends and family of the woman who died in the early days of the fire.
“In times like this, there’s no such thing as jurisdictional lines. There’s no such thing as party lines. All there is is friends and neighbors and all of us coming together to make sure that folks who are in need get what they need,” Boultbee said. She expressed pride in the community response, noting that businesses were offering help and that more people had volunteered than there were roles available.