Wildfire destruction mounts in B.C. Interior, structures lost on 120 more properties

Davies says there is “obviously concern” about the province now entering another stretch of warm and dry weather that will potentially feed the flames.

The Pear Lake fire is currently measured at about 1,250 square kilometres, and the BC Wildfire Service says it showed “extreme fire behaviour and significant growth” on Tuesday as it moved south and west.

The other major losses are about 300 kilometres southeast of Clinton, where the chief of Okanagan Indian Band says about 30 homes of band members and 200 non-band homes on its reserve were destroyed by Bradley Creek blaze that swept through the area near Vernon on Saturday.

The fire that razed Okanagan Lake-front properties to their foundations is still burning out of control, and has triggered a series of evacuation orders and alerts.

Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said Tuesday that about 8,000 people had been forced from their homes across B.C. due to wildfires.

Much of Metro Vancouver is shrouded in “high-risk” wildfire smoke from the wildfires that span much of the province’s south.

The smoke that is rated nine on the 10-level air-quality health index used by Environment Canada has enveloped areas north of the Fraser River, including Vancouver, Burnaby, the North Shore, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge, as well as the eastern Fraser Valley.

That rating means everyone should consider reducing or rescheduling strenuous outdoor activities, while people at risk should do so immediately.

Officials are warning of the potential for more fires from dry lightning storms.

Cliff Chapman with the BC Wildfire Service says temperatures are expected to increase to the mid-30s with dry lightning forecast for Thursday, which could lead to fire starts across the southern Interior where most of B.C.’s estimated 115 wildfires are burning.

There are currently five wildfires of note in the province, all burning near communities in the southern Interior including Boston Bar, Clinton, Vernon and Kimberley.

Chapman says the service has helicopters and fixed-wing planes ready to tackle new starts in what looks to be another challenging week for fire crews.

Davies says the forecast raises concerns for possible changes to the Pear Lake fire and related evacuations.

“We’re kind of in a holding pattern … with this immediate weather forecast and hoping for the best,” he says. “(We) want people to be able to go home as soon as it’s safe, too.

“It’s obviously an extremely challenging time for everyone who’s directly impacted. And we’re doing our best to support people as well as we can and meet them where they are.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2026.

— Chuck Chiang in Vancouver

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Wildfire destruction mounts in B.C. Interior, structures lost on 120 more properties

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