British Columbia Declares Emergency as Wildfire Displaces 20,000

British Columbia declared a state of emergency on August 8, 2026, as the Bald Range wildfire burned 9,500 hectares uncontained. Summerland, a community of about 12,000, was evacuated overnight, plus 8,000 more near Peachland — over 20,000 displaced total. This followed the Bradley Creek blaze, believed to have destroyed more than 200 homes.