Fires Threaten Canada's "Napa Valley"

news image
Special Stories
9 Aug 2023 3:00 AM

Large fires are burning in and around the Okanagan Valley, one of Canada's top wine-producing regions roughly 5 hours east of Vancouver in British Columbia. The largest fires in the region are Rossmoore Lake, Lower East Adams Lake, and Bush Creek East wildfires. The fires are prompting evacuations and threatening wineries in the region.

The Eagle Bluff fire is burning along the U.S./Canada border, prompting evacuations and producing thick smoke in both Washington and southern British Columbia. Containment is growing on this fire which has burned over 16k acres in Washington and 7,500 acres in Canada.

Additional fires in B.C. that are extremely dangerous include the Horsethief Creek and Llander Creek Fires. According to officials both fires were started by lightning and are "uncontrollable" defined as "a wildfire that is continuing to spread and is not responding to suppression efforts".

The Nation is at a LEVEL 5 (the highest level) for wildfire preparedness, meaning the demand for resources is extreme and international resources are being used to fight fires. British Columbia is also under a LEVEL 5 alert for wildfire resources. The numbers are staggering:

British Columbia:

  • 1,586 wildfires

  • 3.85 million acres of land burned

  • 4,000 personnel fighting fires

Canada:

  • 50,482 square miles of land burned

  • 5,122 fires in 2023 (as of Aug 2)

  • 663% of normal fire activity

  • 325 NEW fire starts in the last week of July, 80% sparked by lightning

This compares to the U.S.'s quieter fire season, with 1,850 square miles burned in 2023 - only 3% of the activity compared to Canada. However, in recent weeks fire activity has been picking up in the Pacific Northwest and the United States' Fire Level is now 3 out of 5. Smoke from Canadian Wildfires has been impacting the U.S. all year, with more smoke from the latest fires drifting into the northern Plains of the U.S. this week.

All Weather News
More
Hot Weather Powers Severe Chances in the Northeast

Hot Weather Powers Severe Chances in the Northeast

EAST - Hot temperatures continue out east as

9 Jul 2025 2:55 AM
Dangerous Heat Building Out West

Dangerous Heat Building Out West

WEST - Heat alerts have been issued across th

9 Jul 2025 2:50 AM
Plains Storms This Week

Plains Storms This Week

Energy spinning off the Rockies is forcing th

9 Jul 2025 2:20 AM
Chantal Weakens After Making Landfall Sunday Morning

Chantal Weakens After Making Landfall Sunday Morning

Tropical Storm Chantal formed Saturday mornin

7 Jul 2025 4:50 PM
Eastern Pacific Remains Active

Eastern Pacific Remains Active

Following the prolific start to the season, t

7 Jul 2025 12:15 AM
Near Seasonal Temperatures for Many Come July 4th!

Near Seasonal Temperatures for Many Come July 4th!

AAA is expecting over 70 million travelers to

4 Jul 2025 10:15 AM
Northeast Severe Threat on Thursday

Northeast Severe Threat on Thursday

NORTHEAST -A shortwave trough will swing thro

3 Jul 2025 8:05 PM