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Hundreds of Helpers! Firefighters Battle On in Canada’s Okanagan Valley
Quick Summary
A big wildfire has been burning in British Columbia, Canada, near a town called Summerland. Hundreds of brave firefighters are working day and night to bring it under control. Some good news arrived this week — a few families are beginning to return home.
What Happened?
In early August, a fast-moving wildfire broke out in the hills above Summerland, a town of about 12,000 people in the Okanagan Valley in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The fire — called the Bald Range wildfire — spread rapidly and forced the entire town to evacuate.
Neighbouring communities around Peachland also had to leave. All together, many thousands of people had to pack up and find somewhere safe to stay. Most headed to the nearby city of Penticton, where community centres and volunteers were ready to help.
Farm animals needed help too. Roughly 50,000 animals on farms in the area had to be looked after while their owners were away. Volunteers and animal handlers worked hard to care for them.
The response from helpers has been incredible. By mid-August, nearly 200 firefighters were assigned to the fire, along with 14 helicopters and more than 40 pieces of heavy equipment like bulldozers. One hundred firefighters from Mexico arrived to help on August 11. That is what teamwork between countries looks like!
Helicopters even flew through the night using special night-vision cameras to keep fighting the fire when it was dark. By August 14, the fire was about 19,149 hectares in size — roughly 25 times the area of New York City’s Central Park — and crews were still working hard.
Some hopeful news arrived on August 14. The evacuation order for part of the Trout Creek neighbourhood of Summerland was reduced to an alert, meaning some families could carefully begin returning home.
Why Does It Matter?
Wildfires like this one remind us how important it is to have firefighters and emergency teams ready to help. It also shows how communities can pull together. Neighbours helped neighbours. Firefighters from another country flew in to assist. Volunteers looked after farm animals.
The fire is still burning as of today, and crews are watching carefully because wind and dry conditions can change things quickly. Scientists note that the area around Summerland has had very little rain this summer — only about 2 millimetres since July 1. That makes forests very dry, like a pile of paper that could catch fire easily.
Big Words
- Evacuation — When people are told to leave an area quickly because it is dangerous, so that they can be safe somewhere else.
- Hectare — A unit for measuring land area. One hectare is about the size of a soccer field. The Bald Range fire is nearly 20,000 hectares.
- Night-vision — Special technology that lets people (or cameras) see in the dark using heat or light that human eyes cannot normally detect.
- Drought code — A number scientists use to measure how dry the soil and deep forest materials are. The higher the number, the more likely a fire can spread.
Fun Fact
Helicopters fighting wildfires can scoop up thousands of litres of water from a lake in just a few seconds using a special bucket — then fly to the fire and drop it in under a minute!
Think About It
If firefighters from one country can travel to another country to help during an emergency, what does that tell us about how people around the world can work together?
Sources
- CBC News — Rapidly growing Bald Range wildfire forces evacuation of entire District of Summerland
- The Globe and Mail — Favourable forecast to help firefighting efforts, but Bald Range fire still out of control (Aug. 11-12)
- Global News — Bald Range wildfire: New orders issued as some residents allowed home (Aug. 14)
- Castlegar News / BC Wildfire Service — Hundreds of firefighters battling Bald Range blaze (Aug. 14)