RCMP investigators say they are still working to determine how the Bald Range wildfire started after it destroyed or damaged homes across the south Okanagan last month.
The Story
RCMP say they are continuing a multi-agency investigation into the origin of the Bald Range fire, which destroyed or damaged about 150 properties in B.C.’s south Okanagan last month. The probe involves RCMP forensic identification personnel, wildfire officials, the Office of the Fire Commissioner and other partners.
In a brief statement issued Monday, RCMP in Penticton said members of the RCMP forensic identification section and wildfire personnel have completed an assessment of the affected area. Despite that site work being completed, the force said investigators have not concluded the cause and the investigation remains ongoing.
Police said they are particularly interested in information from the period around when the blaze was first discovered and began to expand quickly. The RCMP are asking people who witnessed suspicious activity, or who saw people or vehicles near the area, to come forward.
The investigation focuses on the region around Princeton-Summerland Road and Bathville Road, including the Crump and Trout Creek recreation sites. RCMP said the relevant timeframe was the afternoon and evening of Aug. 7, when the fire “exploded within hours of its discovery,” according to police.
RCMP also asked residents to consider any video footage or photographs they may have captured during that day. Police said such material would help investigators review what may have been occurring in the area during the initial stages of the blaze.
The Bald Range wildfire forced roughly 20,000 people from their homes as it advanced toward Summerland. In that community, the fire damaged or destroyed about 40 properties after razing roughly 110 structures in and around Faulder, a small community near Summerland.
Police said an 80-year-old woman died suddenly while she was fleeing her home west of Summerland. Her death occurred during the evacuation period, and RCMP said the location was about 400 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
After the fire’s rapid growth, B.C. officials declared a state of provincial emergency that lasted nearly three weeks. The emergency ended on Aug. 28, as agencies coordinated response and recovery efforts.
By Monday, RCMP said the assessment work has been completed, but they did not provide further detail on what investigators are finding. The practical next steps for affected residents and local witnesses are to share any relevant accounts or recorded material that falls within the Aug. 7 afternoon and evening timeframe along Princeton-Summerland Road and Bathville Road.
← More stories