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2026-08-01 17:29 UTC → 2026-08-01 22:36 UTC ·
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In late Late July 2026, 2026 saw multiple wildfires straddling the cross‑border Okanagan/Okanogan area faced several wildfire incidents. U.S.–Canada border. In Washington’s Okanogan County, two lightning‑started fires burned: the lightning‑started Ptarmigan Fire (≈10,878 acres) on the edge of burned near the Pasayten Wilderness and Wilderness, while the much larger Kaiser Canyon Fire (≈126,000 acres, acres) was 16 % contained) despite contained after more than 1,000 firefighters and worked under red‑flag conditions. In British Columbia, a human‑caused grass fire ignited near Westside Road north of Vernon on July 31. Initially reported at Vernon, identified as the Bradley Creek Fire, expanded from about 10 hectares, the blaze grew ha to roughly 100 hectares ha by the morning of August 1. The fire, identified as the Bradley Creek Fire (K41351), 1 and was classified as under control. The Okanagan Indian Band’s Emergency Operations Centre remained kept its alert level at Level 1, issuing evacuation alerts for dozens of properties along Bonneau Road, Pebble Park Lane, Louis Road and several Westside Road addresses. Road. No homes or other structures were threatened. BC officials warned that an approaching cold front could bring thunderstorms and gusts up to 80 km/h, potentially worsening fire‑hazard conditions. Smoke from the fire was already affecting threatened, but smoke impacted air quality across the Central Okanagan. On 1 August, a separate 200‑ha blaze on Okanagan Indian Band land near Westside Road prompted an expanded evacuation alert. The fire was part of a broader surge of BC wildfires, including the Riley Creek fire (≈1,150 ha), the Pear Lake wildfire (≈90,475 ha) and surrounding regions. These events underscore the persistent Felker Lake fire (≈4,217 ha), all exhibiting extreme behaviour under strong winds of 40‑45 km/h. Heavy equipment, helicopters and structure‑protection crews were deployed, while a cold front brought gusts that threatened containment efforts. Washington state responded by declaring a statewide emergency and extending a burn ban through September as more than 1,000 fires had already burned 425,000 acres. The situation highlights the persistent, cross‑border wildfire risk in the Okanagan‑Okanogan region and the coordinated response of U.S. and Canadian agencies under amid challenging weather conditions.