Thunder Bay, ON — Atlyn Becker remembers the hills glowing orange around her on Saturday as her truck edged north to safety fromfiresburning around British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake.
She and her family are among thousands who fled their homes over the weekend with whatever they could pack, as high winds pushed flames over drought-parched land. She estimates there were about 200 vehicles moving slowly down the road with her. “You could feel the heat of the fire.
You could hear the crackling of the trees. The fire was just raging,” she advised Monday, after safely arriving in Kelowna. Becker indicated she watched through the window of her truck as firefighters cut apart fallen trees with chainsaws so that people could drive through. “(Fire) was right down to the road, all the way up the side of the mountain, and it was actually terrifying because you don’t know if a tree is going to fall on you,” she confirmed.
The prolonged drought in the region and the strong winds in the area helped the blazes spread.
Multiple evacuation orders and alerts have been published over the last several days because of wildfires burning in areas around Okanagan Lake. Central Okanagan Urgent response Management indicated more than 2,200 properties under its jurisdiction have been evacuated due to the Quilpituk Creek forest fire. Further up the lake, the Regional District of North Okanagan expanded evacuation orders and alerts on Sunday because of the Bradley Creek blaze. Many residents rushed to escape over the weekend as winds gusting up to 115 kilometres per hour fanned the fire, destroying homes as it burned to the water line. Becker and her family chose to leave their Westshore Estates neighbourhood before they were officially ordered out as the blazes burning on either side of them led to the evacuation of other communities including the Okanagan Indian Band reserve land. She indicated she watched planes and crews on the ground do the best they could to fight the flames, but the heavy winds on Saturday were too much. “We haven’t had any precipitation all the month of July. It sprinkles, but that’s it. No downpours, nothing to really get things, you know, a little bit saturated,” she stated. Cliff Chapman, director of forest fire operations for the provincial forest fire service, remarked in an update on Sunday that they had never seen blaze conditions like this before. The prolonged drought in the region and the strong winds in the area helped the blazes spread. Forest fire Service information officer Nicole Bonnett noted Monday that the Bradley Creek forest fire saw no significant growth overnight, while the Quilpituk Creek fire now measures about 550 hectares. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar stated in statement that 100 workers from Mexico arrived in B.C. on Monday and 200 more were expected later in the week to help the province battle the wildfires. “They’ve travelled from their homes to help us protect ours amid a challenging blaze season. As British Columbians, let’s welcome them warmly as they prepare to work alongside our BC Blaze Service crews,” he indicated. Dan Wilson, the Chief of the Okanagan Indian Band, confirmed they don’t know the full extent of the wildfire’s destruction on their homes and infrastructure and he can’t say when residents will be allowed back. “The fire is still active. Firefighters are still working in areas that remain dangerous. There are places where crews still can’t safely get in,” he indicated in a video posted on Facebook. Wilson confirmed there are damaged power lines, unsafe trees, damaged infrastructure and water systems that still have to be looked at, before people could be allowed back in. “I also know many of you are seeing images, videos and reports shared on social media and in the news. Some of what you are seeing is upsetting, some of it raises more questions than answers. We understand that, we are working to confirm information as quickly as we can and share it with our local residents as soon as it’s verified.” Becker’s property is now covered under an evacuation order. She stated she plans to drive to Vernon, where she can use binoculars to look across the lake to try and see if her home is still standing. She remarked she’s visited an crisis services centre set up for evacuees and heard multiple people talking about properties being lost. Videos posted online show some properties on the shoreline of the lake have been destroyed, Becker, who is retired, confirmed losing her home would be devastating, in part because she also uses it as an Airbnb business in the summer months. “I’m retired, and my organizations retired, and just the thought of not having that income, it’s really scary,” she noted..
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📍 Source: Global News Thunder Bay · By: Global News Staff · 🗓️ August 04, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
