WATCH: Horrifying footage emerges of Okanagan Lake wildfires

PENTICTON — Terrifying footage captured over the weekend showing walls of fire driven by extreme winds has continued to circulate Tuesday as crews battle the Quilpituk Creek and Bradley Creek wildfires along the west side of Okanagan Lake..The videos, many filmed from the water or neighbouring slopes, depict flames reaching the shoreline and properties reduced to smouldering ruins under night skies. Residents who fled described chaotic escapes as gusts reached 115 km/h, conditions BC Wildfire Service director of operations Cliff Chapman called "unprecedented."“We are seeing fuel conditions that we have never seen before. We are seeing fire behaviour and fire growth that we have never experienced in B.C. up until this point,” Chapman said Sunday..As of early Tuesday, the Quilpituk Creek wildfire south of La Casa was estimated at 565 hectares and remained out of control. BC Wildfire Service reported additional growth overnight, but said it continued northwest and upslope, away from community areas. Crews worked through the night with night-vision systems, structure protection units and heavy equipment, completing hose lays and danger-tree assessments.Central Okanagan Emergency Management has 2,223 properties under evacuation order and 425 under alert because of the Quilpituk Creek fire. Westside Road remains closed north of Caesars Landing. Overnight lodging for evacuees is available at Royal LePage Place Arena in West Kelowna.Farther north, the larger Bradley Creek wildfire near Vernon stood at approximately 2,603 hectares with no significant growth reported since Sunday.The blaze forced the complete evacuation of the Okanagan Indian Band reserve and prompted orders and alerts affecting thousands more properties in the Regional District of North Okanagan, Spallumcheen and Splatsin First Nation. Some orders in Spallumcheen were scaled back Monday evening as crews made progress, though Highway 97 remains closed in sections and full damage assessments are still pending..Okanagan Indian Band Chief Dan Wilson said the community is facing one of its most significant emergencies since the 2021 White Rock Lake fire. “We still don’t know the full extent of what this wildfire has taken from us,” Wilson said in a video update. “Some of what you’re seeing is upsetting… The emergency isn’t over, there will be hard days ahead.”Provincial officials confirmed structures have been lost but said conditions remain too hazardous for complete surveys. BC Hydro reported extensive infrastructure damage and prolonged outages for roughly 1,700 customers.In Penticton, the Penticton Indian Band opened an evacuation reception centre at Little Paws Daycare, 140 Outma Sqilx’w Place, to support displaced residents from farther up the valley, including Okanagan Indian Band members. The centre operates daily from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is accepting donations of cots, clean bedding, pillows, and food or store gift cards. RV parking is available after registration.“We thank our community members for coming together during this emergency. Your generosity, kindness and support make a meaningful difference for families facing a difficult and uncertain time,” the band said in a statement.The dual fires form part of a broader provincial picture in which more than 5,000 people were forced from their homes over a 24-hour period last weekend. Across British Columbia, hundreds of wildfires are burning, with thousands of properties still under order or alert and some residents refusing to leave their homes — perhaps most notably in Boston Bar, where the Brunswick fire showed potential to overtake the entire village just two weeks ago..The scale of the Okanagan emergency, meanwhile, has renewed questions about whether Premier David Eby’s government should declare a provincial state of emergency. Similar calls have come from the Cariboo, where large fires have also forced widespread evacuations, and from opposition voices questioning the absence of a province-wide declaration.On Saturday, Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson publicly urged Premier David Eby and Forests Minister Ravi Parmar to declare a local state of emergency in the South Cariboo, citing the need for more help and an open hospital amid “horrific fires.”“Calling on the Premier and Minister of Forests to declare a ‘local state of emergency.’ We need more help in the South Cariboo and a hospital that is open!” Doerkson posted, while thanking firefighters and frontline workers..A provincial state of emergency is primarily a legislative tool. It can unlock expanded powers for officials to enter private property, commandeer equipment, control travel and access additional federal coordination. It does not automatically deliver more firefighters or aircraft. Local governments and First Nations already hold states of local emergency that enable mandatory evacuations and emergency support services.Provincial officials have historically resisted early declarations, arguing they are unnecessary when resources are available and local authorities retain primary control. Parmar has pointed to the arrival of 100 Mexican firefighters this week, with 200 more expected, as evidence of ongoing capacity. Those critical of Parmar's response counter that extraordinary conditions — including prolonged drought, explosive fire behaviour and simultaneous major incidents — meet the threshold for a formal provincial declaration.As of Tuesday morning, no such declaration had been made. Evacuation orders and alerts for both Okanagan fires remain in effect.

WATCH: Horrifying footage emerges of Okanagan Lake wildfires

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