Wildfires

Frustration is growing among Summerland evacuees who want to know when they can return home, but emergency officials said Tuesday the volatility of the Bald Range wildfire makes it impossible to give them a firm timeline.

Wildfire officials said crews are working around the clock at the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland to try to control the blaze and allow people to safely return home.

The chief of the Penticton Indian Band is urging the provincial and federal governments to prioritize wildfire preparedness to help protect communities across B.C., including those in the Okanagan threatened by increasingly large fires.

Some residents displaced by the Bald Range wildfire are being granted temporary access to Summerland for critical purposes as emergency officials plan for a staged return to the community.

The fight against the 15,590-hectare Bald Range wildfire is a “monumental task,” BC Wildfire Service incident commander Hugh Murdoch said during a Monday night emergency briefing, with crews facing a vast fireground and active fire behaviour around Summerland.

Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes is warning evacuated residents to brace themselves for what they may find when they return home, saying the community already knows people who have lost homes.

Defence Minister David McGuinty said Canada’s military is “on standby” to assist with British Columbia’s wildfire response if needed.

British Columbia is banning recreational off-road vehicles on Crown land in parts of the province to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Penticton RCMP are asking for witnesses and video as investigators work to determine what started the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland.

"It's a constant worry about the fires and how fast they can turn, so you're always sort of sitting on edge worrying what's going to happen, but then when you see the devastation in Summerland and how fast that happened, it really drives it home how suddenly your life can be changed in a not good way."