Summerland, B.C., has updated its evacuation orders, allowing more residents to return home. The District of Summerland downgraded the evacuation order to an alert for an area east of Highway 97 and the Trout Creek neighborhood on the west side of Highway 97. Residents are advised to stay prepared for potential evacuation. Mayor Doug Holmes mentioned that 800 additional properties have had their evacuation orders downgraded, totaling around 1,200 properties now under an evacuation alert. Initially, 5,500 properties were under evacuation orders when the fire started, but the extent of property damage is still being assessed.
Highway 97 in Summerland has been fully reopened after being closed due to wildfire activity. The BC Wildfire Service has warned of lingering smoke in the southern half of the province until Sunday. Officials are monitoring an unstable weather pattern that could lead to more lightning-caused fires. The service has brought in firefighting crews from New Brunswick and Quebec to help with the over 120 fires burning across B.C., most of which were ignited by lightning strikes.
In Clinton, hundreds of residents have been allowed to return home as evacuation orders have been downgraded. The Pear Lake fire remains the largest in B.C. this year, covering 1,593 square kilometers. Highways in the affected areas, including Highway 97 in Cache Creek and the Okanagan region, have reopened but remain active wildfire zones. The Bald Range wildfire near Summerland, spanning over 210 square kilometers, is still uncontained, with hopes of more residents returning home soon. The Brunswick Creek wildfire complex around Boston Bar covers an area exceeding 700 square kilometers.