Summerland residents return to largely intact town after Bald Range fire

PENTICTON — Most of Summerland’s roughly 12,000 residents are now able to return home after the Bald Range wildfire forced a full-community evacuation on August 7 and photographs obtained by the Western Standard show the downtown core remains largely intact..The images, taken as the first large wave of residents re-entered on Tuesday depict Main Street and the lakeside commercial area standing with little visible fire damage. Blackened hillsides rise immediately behind some neighbourhoods, but the town itself shows only isolated losses rather than the widespread destruction seen in Faulder..The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen confirmed that approximately 150 structures were damaged or destroyed in total. Of those, about 40 sit inside the District of Summerland’s boundaries and roughly 110 are in Electoral Area F, including Faulder and Meadow Valley.The figures, first released Monday by District of Summerland CAO Graham Statt, are preliminary and expected to rise as on-the-ground assessments continue.Neither the RDOS nor the provincial government has said how many of those 40 structures in Summerland proper were houses rather than barns, sheds or other outbuildings.Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene told reporters on Tuesday that “structures” means “any structure of note on a property, including things like barns, which are very important for farmers, as well as homes.”“I will leave it to the local government to communicate structure losses with residents before we release specific details about the losses that have been experienced by people on the ground,” she said during a press conference alongside Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar, BC Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, and BC Wildfire Service's Cliff Chapman..Statt and RDOS spokesperson Erick Thompson have likewise declined to provide a homes-versus-outbuildings breakdown. Statt said officials have contacted every affected resident they can reach and are offering counselling and, if requested, on-site visits or photographs.Photos obtained by the Western Standard on Tuesday illustrate the sporadic nature of the losses inside Summerland itself..The Bald Range fire started late on August 7 about 15 kilometres west of Summerland and covered that distance in a few hours. It virtually erased Faulder and killed an 80-year-old woman who was fleeing with her family in Meadow Valley. RCMP said her death was a result of the wildfire.Evacuation orders covering 3,380 properties were replaced with alerts on Tuesday, adding to earlier staged returns that already allowed more than 1,200 households back. About 530 properties remain under order, mainly in Garnet Valley, Prairie Valley and Meadow Valley, while Faulder stays closed because crews and equipment are still working the roads.Mayor Doug Holmes said some neighbourhoods will look exactly as residents left them. In others, “you’re going to see that some of your neighbours have lost homes.” He added that firefighters saved many houses even where the fire reached backyards..“We’re going to help each other. We’re going to be kind and just pull together as you know Summerlanders do,” Holmes said. “It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”Thompson described seeing homes in Summerland where the surrounding hills were blackened yet the structures themselves stood, saved by firefighters. “That’s an incredible, incredible story,” he said.The fire itself remains classified as out of control and measured about 22,000 hectares as of Wednesday afternoon. BC Wildfire Service crews continue working the western and southwestern flanks along the Princeton-Summerland Road corridor. High temperatures, shifting winds and exceptionally dry fuels are expected to produce more growth this week.Two of Summerland’s main grocery stores reopened Wednesday, as residents flowed back. A recovery information centre is operating at the George Riga Arts and Cultural Centre..Statt first publicly confirmed on August 9 that downtown Summerland was “complete and untouched,” a statement that proved accurate as more of the municipality reopened. The contrast with Faulder, where little more than blackened foundations remain, is stark.Residents still under order or who have lost property are being contacted directly. Emergency support services continue for those on evacuation order. The fire is expected to produce smouldering ground fire and smoke inside its perimeter for weeks — a common after-effect that officials say is typically not a safety concern.The RDOS and District of Summerland have asked returning residents to follow FireSmart measures, stay clear of helicopter staging at Summerland Secondary, and remain ready to leave again if conditions change. The Bald Range blaze is still burning.

Summerland residents return to largely intact town after Bald Range fire

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