Wildfire destruction mounts in B.C. Interior as dry lightning and extreme heat threaten communities

VERNON, B.C. — Wildfire destruction in British Columbia's Interior continued to mount, with authorities outside Clinton confirming that structures had been lost on about 120 properties.

Colton Davies, an information officer with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, stated that some properties suffered the loss of multiple structures due to the massive Pear Lake fire, which forced sweeping evacuations across the region. Approximately 1,500 properties in the district remained under evacuation order.

"The impact has been very significant from this fire in the rural TNRD areas and tragic, certainly, for a lot of people who have suffered losses," Davies said.

Escalating Conditions and Evacuations

The crisis has heavily impacted multiple regions, including areas near Okanagan Lake, where roughly 230 homes were razed over the weekend. Weeks-long evacuation orders were also enacted in and around Boston Bar in the Fraser Canyon.

Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene noted that approximately 8,000 people have been forced from their homes across B.C. due to ongoing wildfire activity.

Weather Concerns Persist

Cliff Chapman of the BC Wildfire Service warned that temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-30s alongside dry lightning forecasts, elevating risks for new fire starts across the southern Interior where most of B.C.'s estimated 115 active wildfires are concentrated.