Wildfire near Lytton, B.C., larger than initial estimate after aerial mapping

New houses being built to replace those destroyed by the 2021 wildfire are seen at the Lytton First Nation, in Lytton, B.C., on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Police are helping firefighters from several local departments evacuate residents from about 400 properties in the Peachland, B.C., area due to a fast-moving wildfire.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations issued a bulletin just after 5 p.m. Wednesday saying tactical evacuations were underway.

"An evaluation of the situation is underway and specific details will be released as they are confirmed," the agency said. "Public safety and the safety of emergency response personnel are the primary concerns at this time."

Residents of properties east of Trepanier Bench Road, south of Highway 97C and north of Highway 97 should be prepared to be away from their homes for an "extended period of time," it said.

Evacuees can temporarily report to the Peachland Community Centre, while a muster centre has been opened at Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna for those who cannot reach the other centre, the agency said.

It said later in the day that the evacuation order would remain in place for about 48 hours and emergency personnel would reassess the situation in the morning.

The fire is burning about two kilometres north of Peachland.

It has forced the closure of Highway 97 between Peachland and West Kelowna, while Highway 97C, the Okanagan Connecter, is also closed from West Kelowna to 22 kilometres southeast of Merritt, the province's driver information system shows.

The BC Wildfire Service website shows the so-called Drought Hill fire spanned 27 hectares, up from 12 hectares earlier Wednesday.

While the estimated size of the fire increased, the service said the use of water and fire retardant had been "effective at cooling fire behaviour."

"The fire behaviour has decreased to rank two and rank three, meaning a low to moderate surface fire with open flame, occasional candling and a low to moderate rate of spread," the service said in an update posted to its website.

It said 18 firefighters were responding to the blaze with support from three helicopters and other aircraft.

Crews were using Okanagan Lake to pick up water to douse the flames, and the service has asked people on the lake to give the aircraft room.

"We are responding with initial attack crews, response officers, structure protection personnel and aerial support, including helicopters, tankers and skimmers," the service said in a social media post.

The wildfire service lists human activity as the suspected cause of the blaze.

A photo posted to social media with a caption saying "wildfire burning in Peachland, near Drought Hill," shows a truck engulfed in flames parked near the side of a road.

The B.C. government has said tactical evacuations happen when there is an immediate threat to public safety, and if the threat continues, a strategic evacuation would be declared by local governments and First Nations.

In addition to the roughly 400 properties under an evacuation order, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations issued an evacuation alert for about 225 other properties late Wednesday, with residents being warned to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

The Cantilever Bar wildfire burning south of Lytton has meanwhile been mapped at 4.6 square kilometres, up from the previous estimate of 1.5 square kilometres.

The larger estimate came after the smoke cleared enough to allow aircraft to fly overhead and provide more accurate perimeter mapping, the wildfire service said.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District and three local First Nations have issued evacuation alerts due to the fire.

The blaze is about 10 kilometres south of Lytton, a community devastated by fire in 2021, burning on the west side of the Fraser River.

More than two dozen firefighters are responding to the blaze, where "conditions are very dry and fuels are highly susceptible to ignition," the wildfire service said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press