Charred road to recovery for residents, businesses in B.C.’s south Okanagan

The BC Hydro website shows an outage affecting 210 customers in an area hard hit by the fire, around the community of Faulder, where dozens of homes were lost.

In Summerland itself, thousands of residents have returned home this week, though regional officials have said they must boil their water.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for surrounding rural areas as crews clean up and restore services after the blaze tore through. It continues to burn out of control, but is mostly pushing west, away from Summerland on the shores of Okanagan Lake.

Business are starting to reopen, including the Sunflower Ukrainian Cafe, which has been serving limited quantities of borscht, cabbage rolls and other specialties.

But the effects of the fire extend beyond the physical destruction it has wrought, as the many tourism-dependent businesses in the region grapple with the loss of customers in the middle of their high season over the last two weeks.

Tamara Paul and her husband Darcy Balla run Epic Cycling Outdoor Adventures, a bike rental company on the lakeshore in Penticton, B.C. Paul said her phone has only just started ringing again as customers made a few bookings on Friday.

The slowdown has had a “massive” impact during one of their busiest months in the seasonal operation, she said.

“We have between May and October to have, you know, our income to last through the winter,” Paul said in an interview. “Most likely I would say probably a 30 per cent drop for our business as far as losing August.”

Officials had urged tourists to stay away from the region just hours after the fire sent thousands of evacuees searching for accommodations. But as they return home, Paul said the Okanagan is still a great place to visit.

“There’s great food, there’s great wine. Our e-bikes are here, we’re ready, we’re open,” she said. “The restaurants need the business, we all do.”

The Bald Range fire spans an estimated 240 square kilometres, with the most activity along its western and southern flanks.

Hood said the wildfire service was relocating its incident command post from Summerland to get closer to areas with active fire, so residents may notice fewer crew members in town, but they continue to battle the blaze.

“As that fire grows further away from town, we can move to an area that allows us to focus in on those areas of concern,” he says in the video posted Thursday.

There are about 125 active wildfires in B.C., with about 40 per cent burning out of control, mostly in the southern half of the province.

Wildfires this summer have destroyed hundreds of structures in the south Cariboo region around Clinton, B.C., and in the north and south Okanagan.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2026.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Charred road to recovery for residents, businesses in B.C.’s south Okanagan

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