A newly discovered wildfire’s aggressive, sudden growth Friday night prompted the evacuation of the entire district of Summerland, B.C., as well as surrounding areas. The Bald Range blaze was estimated at 9,500 hectares, or 95 square kilometres, as of Saturday morning, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. It reached that size in less than 24 hours. BCWS information officer Erick Thompson told CTV News on Friday night that the fire was discovered around 5:30 p.m. “It moved so quickly and grew so fast that it really became a very serious situation very quickly,” Thompson said. One of the first communities to be affected by the blaze was Faulder, a rural area that is part of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. Video shared with CTV News Friday night shows a line of orange flames advancing down a hillside as the person recording from a vehicle flees the area. John Middleton’s daughter was one of those forced to leave Faulder during tactical evacuations. “It was flames all over,” he said, describing his daughter’s escape. “They tried to get the dogs out. They were being ushered out by the cops. She got some burns on her face and around. They barely got out. It was crazy.” The BCWS said the wildfire was displaying “aggressive rank 5 behaviour, meaning an organized flame front with a fast rate of spread and moderate to long range spotting.” By Saturday morning, evacuation orders covered the entire district of Summerland, as well as properties in neighbouring Peachland and the regional districts of Central Okanagan and Okanagan Similkameen. More than 20,000 residents are estimated to have been ordered to leave their homes. This is a developing story. Check back for updates With files from The Canadian Press
