We have been following BC's wildfire season closely since spring, and the last two weeks have taken it somewhere none of our earlier updates prepared us for. The province is now under a state of emergency, more than 100 fires are burning, tens of thousands of people are out of their homes, and we lost our first life of the season. This update covers where things stand right now across BC, alongside a full, practical walkthrough of the gear and the plan every rural or fire-prone household should have ready. This one runs long on purpose. Preparedness is not a single purchase, it is a kit and a plan working together, so we wanted to cover both properly in one place.
If you missed the earlier posts in this series, you can catch up on our national wildfire outlook, our defensible space guide, and our first Boston Bar update.
Where BC's Wildfires Stand Now
On Saturday, the Province of BC declared a state of provincial emergency, the first of this fire season, as more than 100 wildfires burned across the region and a fast-moving fire near Summerland forced thousands of people out of their homes overnight. As of this week, roughly 21,000 people remain under evacuation order across BC, with several thousand more on evacuation alert, and BC Wildfire Service is warning that this fire season is likely to stretch well into fall. We also have to note, with real weight, that BC lost its first life of the season this past week: an 80 year old woman died while trying to evacuate the Meadow Valley area northwest of Summerland as the Bald Range fire grew around her family. Our thoughts are with everyone affected. It is the clearest possible reminder of why the plan in the second half of this post matters as much as the gear.
Several fires are driving this moment, and it is worth understanding each one.
The Bald Range fire, west of Summerland in the South Okanagan, is the fire that triggered the state of emergency. First spotted Friday evening, it exploded so quickly that crews used helicopters to rescue dozens of people who had become cut off by the flames. It has since grown from roughly 103 to 156 square kilometres, and it forced the evacuation of the entire District of Summerland along with Peachland, parts of the Okanagan-Similkameen and Central Okanagan regional districts, and Penticton Indian Band lands, close to 10,000 homes on evacuation order in that fire alone. Highway 97 is closed between Penticton and Peachland, with a detour running via Forest Service Road 201 and Highway 33. Premier David Eby has confirmed homes have been lost, with a full damage assessment still pending. The Canadian military is on standby to assist, and roughly 100 additional firefighters from Mexico are set to arrive as part of the international response.
Not far away, the White Rock Lake and Bradley Creek fires jumped Highway 97 at the north end of Okanagan Lake, forcing the evacuation of the entire Okanagan Indian Band reserve and the full highway corridor from Falkland to Monte Lake. North of Kelowna, the Quilpituk Creek fire has grown to 1,139 hectares and remains out of control, with an evacuation order covering roughly 2,650 properties, close to 6,000 residents, after the order was expanded to include Shelter Cove, Secret Point, and Cinnabar Creek ahead of forecast winds.
In the Cariboo, the fire we first told you about as Fiftynine Creek has become something much bigger. It merged with a neighbouring blaze to form the Big Bar Complex, made up of the Pear Lake and French Bar Creek fires, and it is now the largest fire in the province at well over 1,900 square kilometres combined. It forced evacuations across the Village of Clinton, 70 Mile House, Hutchinson Lake, and South Green Lake, though the Thompson-Nicola Regional District downgraded the order for 672 of those properties this week as the fire's growth shifted away from those communities. Continued growth is still expected on the French Bar Creek side.
And the fire that started this whole series, the Brunswick Complex near Boston Bar, has kept growing too. The Ainslie Creek fire alone has now burned past 450 square kilometres, more than double where it stood in mid-July, and Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon has closed again as a result.
Behind all of this is a drought picture that has been building for months. The most recent federal Canadian Drought Monitor assessment shows 80 percent of BC classified as abnormally dry or in drought, up sharply from 40 percent just a month earlier, with the Thompson-Okanagan and parts of the Nechako Plateau downgraded to Extreme Drought, the most severe category on the scale. Provincial snowpack was already less than half of normal by mid-June, streamflow was hitting record lows at many monitoring stations, and the report's own forecast at the time was that fire activity would peak in July and August. That forecast has, unfortunately, played out almost exactly. Looking ahead, forecasters are watching for renewed rounds of dry lightning and strong winds moving through the southern Interior in the coming days, on top of temperatures expected back into the mid-30s, which officials say could bring another wave of fast-growing, wind-driven fire activity on top of everything already burning. You can check current conditions for your region on the Canadian Drought Monitor.
With well over a thousand firefighters, helicopter crews, heavy equipment operators, structure protection personnel, incident management teams, and now international crews all working these fires at once, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you. These crews are working long hours in genuinely dangerous, unpredictable conditions to protect homes, towns, and each other, and this week they are doing it while carrying real loss. We do not take that for granted, and we are grateful for every one of them.
For current fire perimeters and evacuation zones, check the live BC Wildfire Service incident map and EmergencyInfoBC rather than relying on a screenshot or a map from a few days ago. With this many active fires, a provincial state of emergency in effect, and more lightning in the forecast, orders, alerts, and highway conditions are changing by the day, sometimes by the hour.
The last two weeks have been a sobering reminder that wildfire risk is not confined to the one fire making headlines, and that conditions can escalate from a handful of fires to a full state of emergency in a matter of days. That is exactly why the rest of this post exists.
The Essential Wildfire Preparedness Kit
Every item below earns its place in a wildfire kit for a specific reason. This is not a list of nice-to-haves, it is the gear we would want on hand ourselves if a fire moved into our area.
Council Tool Pulaski
The Council Tool Pulaski combines a chopping axe blade with a grub hoe in a single forged head. It is the standard hand tool for building a fireline by hand, chopping through brush and small roots on one side, then flipping to the hoe end to scrape a bare-earth line down to mineral soil. If you only own one wildfire hand tool, this is the one.
Serpent Striker Nozzle
The Serpent Striker Nozzle gives you adjustable, high-reach water streams from a garden hose or pump setup. It is built for knocking down spot fires at a safe distance and laying down a protective wet line around a structure before a fire arrives. Simple, durable, and one of the most commonly recommended nozzles among wildland crews.
Scotty Firefighter 4000 Delta Backpack
The Scotty Firefighter 4000 Delta Backpack is a 6 US gallon water backpack built specifically for wildfire and forestry work, with a hiking-style harness and hip belt so you can carry a real volume of water comfortably over rough ground. Paired with the Bullseye nozzle, it becomes a genuine grab-and-go suppression rig, useful for knocking out small spot fires around your property or supporting neighbours while waiting for crews.
Silky Outback Edition Saw
A Silky Outback Edition saw is fast, quiet, and needs no fuel, which matters if you need to clear a fallen branch off your evacuation route or reduce fuel around a structure without the noise of a chainsaw. The Pocketboy size is compact enough to keep in a grab-and-go bag, while a larger Gomboy or Bigboy Outback is better suited to heavier property clearing work.
Fenix Headlamp
A hands-free light source is easy to overlook until the power goes out or you are packing the truck in the dark with smoke reducing visibility. A Fenix rechargeable headlamp keeps both hands free for carrying gear, checking on animals, or working on a fireline, and models like the HM61R V3.0 offer USB-C charging and a long enough runtime to get through a genuine emergency.
Hultafors Sharpening Stone
A dull axe or saw blade works twice as hard and twice as slowly, which is the opposite of what you want in a time-sensitive situation. The Hultafors Grinding Stone Premium is compact, comes in a leather case, and has a dual grit design so you can keep your fireline tools genuinely sharp and ready, not just stored.
A Paper Backroad Map of Your Area
This is the one item on this list that has nothing to do with cutting or hauling water, and it might be the most important. More on why below, but the short version: a physical BC Backroad Mapbook for your region, such as the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains Mapbook for the Fraser Canyon and Lower Mainland area, does not need a signal, a charge, or an app to work.
Do Not Rely on Technology During a Wildfire
This is worth its own section because it trips people up every year. Your phone, your GPS, your favourite map app, and even the family group chat all depend on things a wildfire can take away without warning.
Cell towers can be damaged or lose power during a fire, and power has already gone out at points in several of these evacuation zones. Outages like that can take cell service and home internet down with them right when people need information most. Traffic and navigation apps rely on live data that may not reflect a highway closure, a lane reduction, or a fast-moving fire in time, and as the Bald Range fire showed this week, growing from a Friday evening spark to a full evacuation of Summerland by 1 a.m., conditions can change faster than an app can update. And if you are relying on a single phone as your only map, your only flashlight, and your only communication tool, a dead battery becomes a genuine problem at the worst possible moment.
This is why a paper map, a headlamp with its own battery, and a plan that does not depend on connectivity all belong in the same kit. Technology is a helpful backup. It should never be the only plan.
Build Your Family Wildfire Escape Plan
A kit full of good gear only helps if your family knows what to do with it. Here is how to put an actual plan together, not just a pile of supplies in a closet.
Keep vehicles fueled
During fire season, make it a habit to fill up before your tank drops below half, not after. Gas stations can lose power during an outage, and lineups form fast once an evacuation order is issued in a nearby area. A full tank is a small, free habit that removes one entire point of failure from your evacuation.
Pack a grab-and-go bag, and know exactly what is in it
Every household in a fire-prone area should have a bag packed and ready before fire season starts, not assembled while smoke is visible. Here is what we recommend it contain:
- Documents, in a waterproof bag or pouch: identification, insurance papers, property documents, and a printed list of emergency contacts
- Medications, a few days' supply, plus a written list of prescriptions and dosages
- Water, at least 2 litres per person, and non-perishable snacks that do not need preparation
- A change of clothes and sturdy footwear per person, plus a jacket, since evacuation centres are not always warm or dry
- A first aid kit, basic but complete
- Cash, since power outages can take out debit and credit machines
- A rechargeable headlamp and spare batteries or a portable charger
- A portable, battery powered radio, so you can get updates even if cell service is down
- N95 or equivalent masks, since wildfire smoke can travel far beyond the fire itself
- Phone chargers and a portable battery bank, fully charged and stored with the bag, not left plugged in somewhere else
- Pet supplies, if you have animals: food, a leash or carrier, and vaccination records
- A paper map of your region, marked with your planned evacuation route
Keep the bag somewhere everyone in the household knows, and check it every few months to swap out expired medication or food.
Have a plan. Not a vague idea, an actual plan.
This is the part that gets skipped the most, and it is the part that matters most. A real wildfire escape plan includes:
- Two evacuation routes out of your area, not just one, in case your primary route is blocked by fire, smoke, or a road closure like the ones now in effect on Highway 1 near Boston Bar and Highway 97 in the Okanagan, or a sudden overnight order like the one that emptied Summerland
- A decision point, agreed on in advance, for when you leave rather than wait, since waiting for an official order can cost precious time in a fast-moving fire
- A role for each adult, so one person is not trying to gather kids, pets, documents, and the grab-and-go bag all at once
Make sure your family knows the plan, and set a meeting spot away from the area
Talk through the plan with everyone in your household, including kids old enough to understand it. Everyone should know the evacuation routes, where the grab-and-go bags are, and what their individual job is if an evacuation order comes.
Just as important, agree on a meeting spot well outside the fire risk area, somewhere you would all head to independently if you get separated or cannot reach each other by phone. This could be a family member's home in another town, a specific rest stop, or a community centre outside the danger zone. Write it down. Do not rely on memory alone in a high-stress moment.
Have a plan. Practice it once with your family so it is not the first time anyone has thought it through. It is one of those things that takes twenty quiet minutes now and can save real time and real stress later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BC under a state of emergency for wildfires? Yes. The Province declared a provincial state of emergency this past Saturday, its first of the 2026 season, after the Bald Range fire near Summerland exploded overnight and forced mass evacuations. More than 100 wildfires are burning across BC, with roughly 21,000 people under evacuation order and thousands more on alert. Check EmergencyInfoBC for the current status.
What is the Bald Range fire and why is it the biggest concern right now? It is the fire that triggered BC's state of emergency, burning west of Summerland in the South Okanagan. First spotted Friday evening, it grew to roughly 156 square kilometres within days, forced the evacuation of Summerland, Peachland, and surrounding areas, closed Highway 97 between Penticton and Peachland, and has been linked to the season's first confirmed wildfire death. Homes have been lost, with a full damage assessment still pending.
What is the Big Bar Complex and how big is it now? It is the merged Pear Lake and French Bar Creek fires burning near Clinton in the Cariboo, formed when the fire we first reported as Fiftynine Creek merged with a neighbouring blaze. It is now the largest fire in BC at well over 1,900 square kilometres combined, and it has forced evacuations across Clinton, 70 Mile House, and nearby communities, though some orders have since been downgraded as the fire's growth shifted direction.
How big are the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires now? The Ainslie Creek fire near Boston Bar has grown past 450 square kilometres, more than double its size in mid-July, and remains out of control alongside Brunswick Creek. Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon has closed again as a result. Check the live BCWS incident map for current figures, since these numbers change daily.
What is driving this surge in wildfires, and will it get worse? Months of drought are the underlying cause. The federal Canadian Drought Monitor shows 80 percent of BC classified as abnormally dry or in drought, with parts of the Interior in Extreme Drought and record-low snowpack and streamflow going into summer. Forecasters are watching for further rounds of dry lightning and strong winds in the southern Interior in the coming days, which could spark new fires or accelerate existing ones.
Is Highway 1 open near Boston Bar, and what about Highway 97 in the Okanagan? Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon near Boston Bar has closed again due to fire activity. Highway 97 is closed between Penticton and Peachland because of the Bald Range fire, with a detour via Forest Service Road 201 and Highway 33, and sections near Falkland and Monte Lake have also been affected by fire activity. Check DriveBC before you travel, since conditions are changing daily.
What should be in a wildfire grab-and-go bag? At minimum: identification and insurance documents, a few days of medication, water and non-perishable food, a change of clothes, a first aid kit, cash, a headlamp, a battery powered radio, phone chargers, masks, pet supplies if applicable, and a paper map of your region marked with your evacuation route.
Why should I use a paper map instead of my phone during a wildfire? Cell towers and power infrastructure can go down during a wildfire, which can take out cell service, GPS, and navigation apps at the exact moment you need them most. A paper map works with no signal, no battery, and no app update required.
What tools should I keep on hand for defensible space and wildfire response? A Council Tool Pulaski for fireline work, a Bullseye Power Nozzle and water backpack such as the Scotty Firefighter 4000 Delta for knocking down spot fires, a Silky Outback saw for quick fuel reduction, a sharp axe kept ready with a Hultafors sharpening stone, and a reliable rechargeable headlamp are the core kit most rural property owners rely on.
We will keep tracking the Bald Range fire, the Big Bar Complex, the Brunswick Complex, and the broader state of emergency across BC, and we will update this series as the situation develops. If you are under an evacuation order or alert right now, please follow it. No amount of gear or preparation is worth staying behind for. In the meantime, if you want help building out your own wildfire kit, reach out or browse the full wildfire and forestry tool collection at Axeman.ca. Stay safe out there, and have a plan.
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