More evacuees can return to Summerland as long road to recovery awaits many

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He says residents can expect firefighting efforts to shift northwest, where blazes are burning into more forested areas, as hotter weather and drier conditions linger.

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More than 20,000 residents were evacuated more than a week ago after the Bald Range fire exploded virtually overnight and triggered emergency orders in Summerland and nearby Peachland.

For many residents, the road to recovery will be a long one.

Roie Manoff, a fighter pilot turned winemaker, has described the fire as being brutal, stormy, fast-moving and immense as it roared through town.

Manoff, owner of Silkscarf winery, says the fire has left a lasting scar for many, as his friends and colleagues lost their homes.

He says he has weathered many storms in his life, and after more than two decades in business, he understands it would be a losing battle to fight nature.

“We have to understand that that’s probably a new norm. We have to be prepared,” Manoff said in an interview. “We have to be able to provide updated, reliable information to anyone in need … and cross fingers that one day things will be better.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2026.

The Canadian Press