The Bradley Creek wildfire in Okanagan Lake area had a significant growth spurt over the weekend, leading to new evacuation orders and displacing thousands of residents.
Evacuation orders were issued on Saturday for parts of the Okanagan Indian Band, Splatsin First Nation, and the township of Spallumcheen as the wildfire expanded rapidly. BC Wildfire Service reported a surge in wildfire activity, resulting in over 5,000 people being evacuated across British Columbia within a day.
During a press briefing on Sunday, Cliff Chapman, the Director of Wildfire Operations at BCWS, expressed concern over unprecedented fuel conditions and fire behavior in the region. The Bradley Creek wildfire ballooned from 10 square kilometers to 26 square kilometers, underscoring the alarming pace of fire growth due to current environmental factors.
A statement on Facebook by BCWS attributed the wildfire’s escalation to recent weather changes, including erratic winds reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h in the Okanagan area. The sudden shifts in wind direction have exacerbated fire behavior, posing challenges to containment efforts on both new and existing wildfires in the vicinity.
The province witnessed a surge in lightning strikes, with over 2200 strikes recorded, leading to 22 suspected lightning-caused wildfires in the past 24 hours. While efforts have managed to bring 12 fires under control, 10 wildfires are still raging out of control, reflecting the volatile wildfire situation across British Columbia.