‘A normal Sunday’: Summerland, B.C., residents gather at first market since wildfire

There weren’t as many vendors as a normal market, but good weather and good spirits were in ready supply as orchardists, vintners and ceramicists — people who make ceramics — sold their wares, he said.

“It feels good because it’s the first sign of kind of a normal Sunday, a normal summer Sunday,” McRae said.

Summerland is a resilient community and is ready to bounce back after the fires, he added.

Jennifer Taylor, a public relations director for the Rotary Club, said the burnt landscape was visible as she shopped for groceries Sunday afternoon.

“It’s going to be a constant reminder to all of us of that night,” she said in an interview.

The BC wildfire service said new wildfires ignited across the province Saturday after more than 7,000 lightning strikes, which it said were caused by a subtropical weather system that brought hot weather to most of the province.

Lightning-caused wildfires started in all of B.C.’s southern fire centres, with the province recording about 50 new fires in 24 hours.

Service information officer Sarah Budd said the Cariboo, Kamloops and southeast regions continued to experience lightning past the recording period and into Sunday afternoon.

“The numbers aren’t really showing the whole picture yet,” she said in an interview.

However, rainy weather across much of the province stopped the new fires’ growth and Budd said the service was able to put out or hold around 60 per cent of lightning-caused fires.

The wildfire service said hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to return this week, bringing the potential of new wildfires.

It said the change in weather could bring lightning-caused holdover fires, which happen when fires smoulder undetected until the weather leads to more visible smoke.

Budd said the public should report wildfire activity, especially during periods of lightning.

“Getting on those new starts is really critical,” she said, adding the reports help the service make decisions about how many resources to divert to a particular fire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2026.

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

‘A normal Sunday’: Summerland, B.C., residents gather at first market since wildfire

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