What you need to know about B.C. wildfires on Aug. 11
The latest:
More than 21,400 people are under evacuation order, and 11,000 are under evacuation alert.
The province is set to hold a wildfire update at 11. a.m. PT.
1,000 hotel rooms have been secured for evacuees.
The Canadian military is on standby, and 100 more Mexican firefighters are set to arrive.
There is no timeline for Summerland residents to be allowed to return home, but officials say re-entry plans are underway, while crews work to repair critical infrastructure.
RCMP are investigating the cause of the Summerland-area fire.
An evacuation alert has been expanded for the Ainslie Creek wildfire.
Severe air quality warnings cover southern B.C.
Dry lightning in the central Interior and Okanagan could start new fires.
Keep up with the latest wildfire information at The Weather Network's wildfire hub
The Bald Range wildfire
Evacuation orders remain in place for the Bald Range fire near Summerland, which has burned 156 square kilometres as of Tuesday.
Penticton RCMP have confirmed at least one person died as a result of the fire. Police said the 80-year-old woman "died suddenly" while trying to flee the fire with her family.
B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) incident commander Hugh Murdoch says crews have been working overnight and their numbers will continue to grow, with 100 Mexican firefighters joining Tuesday morning and the Canadian military on standby.
The scale of the damage to Summerland and surrounding areas is still unknown.
Officials have said that the municipality's downtown was spared, but outlying areas, particularly two adjacent valleys, were impacted.
“There are other neighbourhoods where you might have two houses that burned down and the one next door is fine," Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes told CBC News on Monday.
"There is a lot of uncertainty."
On Monday, Summerland district's chief administrative officer Graham Statt said planning re-entry of residents is "well underway" and will be a phased process.
RCMP continue to investigate the cause of the Bald Range fire, but are urging the public not to speculate.
SEE ALSO: Much-needed rain makes its way into fire-stricken B.C. this week
Growth expected on Brunswick Complex
The Ainslie Creek wildfire, one of two that make up the Brunswick Complex near Boston Bar, continues to grow along its northeast and southeast corners, and has scorched 541 square kilometres.
The wildfire service says the northeast section of the wildfire is spotting towards Highway 8, which could result in its closure. The southeast finger remains about 11 kilometres from Highway 5.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District expanded an evacuation order due to the fire on Monday night to cover 188 more properties.
Challenging weather
The wildfire service is warning that more fires may start as a result of dry lighting in the central Interior and Okanagan.
It said "elevated temperatures and heightened wind gust" in the Okanagan and southeastern B.C. could also increase fire behaviour.
Firefighters work through the night to douse flames of the Bald Range wildfire on Aug. 7. (B.C. Wildfire Service)
A number of evacuation orders and alerts were downgraded for the massive 1,447-square-kilometre Pear Lake wildfire near Clinton on Monday, but the wildfire service still expects growth on two neighbouring fires.
The 444-square-kilometre French Bar Creek wildfire continues to grow, "driven by dense fuels and terrain," and the BCWS says it could merge with the adjacent 278-square-kilometre Bonanza Creek wildfire amid continued warm and dry conditions.
Evacuees flock to Penticton
As of Monday, there were roughly 21,400 people on evacuation order across B.C., more than 12,000 of them from Summerland.
Many of them have found shelter in Penticton.
Summerland's mayor urged residents to remain patient and to support neighbours who have lost homes, acknowledging "it's going to be really hard."
"We can't lose sight of who we are. We need to keep helping each other," Holmes said. "And when we do get back, we need to brace ourselves for what's there or what's not there."
On Monday, the province announced it had secured a block of 1,000 hotel rooms to help house evacuees.
About 11,000 people are under evacuation alert.
This article, written by Arden McLeod, was originally published for CBC News on Aug. 11, 2026, with files from Kevin Maimann and Simon Little.
Thumbnail image credit to the B.C. Wildfire Service via CBC News.