Wildfire forces evacuation of hundreds of homes in West Kelowna, B.C.

An evacuation alert covers a further 385 properties in the same area, with the regional district telling residents to get ready to leave on short notice.

A statement from the emergency management centre says people should be prepared to be away from home for an extended period, including packing essential items such as medications and documents and making arrangements for any pets.

A muster station has been opened at the Westbank Lions Hall to receive evacuees.

The blaze was discovered as provincial officials provided an update on B.C.’s wildfire outlook on Tuesday, saying spring showers and a slow start to the season were “masking” underlying drought and the likelihood of increased fire activity.

Neal McLoughlin, superintendent for predictive services, told the news conference that current drought patterns are worse compared with those recorded at the same time of year in the historic fire seasons of 2017, 2018 and 2021.

West Kelowna was at the centre of a firestorm in 2023, when nearly 190 structures were burned and more than 30,000 people were evacuated across the central Okanagan region. The B.C. government declared a provincewide state of emergency.

McLoughlin said it’s unlikely B.C. will get enough rain to mitigate its persistent drought, and it will take just one or two weeks of summer heat to dry out surface-level fuels that are susceptible to ignition, especially with the onset of lightning season.

“Vigorous” fires that are difficult to control are expected throughout southern B.C. as the season peaks in July or August, he said.

A second fire burning out of control south of Kamloops on Tuesday forced the evacuation of one property.

The BC Wildfire Service has said the Kullagh Creek wildfire spans 1.3 square kilometres in size and was anticipated to spread beyond its current perimeter.

Dave Campbell, head of B.C.’s River Forecast Centre, said warm weather this spring has driven an early snowmelt in southern B.C., where rivers and streams in some areas are running at low levels for this time of year.

Models also show with “near certainty” that B.C. will see hotter-than-normal temperatures over the next few months, he said.

Still, officials said the province is ready for what’s to come, with Forests Minister Ravi Parmar pointing to the wildfire service’s year-round mitigation efforts and expanded use of night-vision technology to help crews work overnight.

“Our teams are ready to go in every corner of the province,” he said, adding the province has been hiring and training firefighters earlier than in the past.

The service’s website shows there were more than a dozen wildfires across B.C. on Tuesday, with four classified as burning out of control.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Wildfire forces evacuation of hundreds of homes in West Kelowna, B.C.

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