Motorhome crash triggers Okanagan wildfire and evacuations, blaze now held

Police say a motorhome that collided with a tree and burst into flames sparked a wildfire that forced the evacuation of nearly 60 homes in Peachland overnight.

It was a brief evacuation, with residents allowed to return home within a few hours, after RCMP say the swift actions of firefighters from Peachland, West Kelowna, Kelowna and the BC Wildfire Service prevented the fire from spreading further.

Police say officers responded to reports of a motorhome that veered off the road along Highway 97 south of Peachland at about 10:24 p.m.

They say the driver, who was the only occupant, was able to escape the vehicle before it became fully engulfed in flames that spread to the nearby hillside.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations issued a statement at 12:49 a.m. saying tactical evacuations were underway for 58 properties in the area, followed by an update at 3:22 a.m. saying residents were allowed to return home.

The properties remain on evacuation alert, with residents told they must stay ready to leave on short notice.

The emergency agency says the wildfire has affected power lines in the area, with the BC Hydro website showing an outage affecting nearly 680 customers.

The BC Wildfire Service website shows a 1.4-hectare blaze discovered yesterday near the properties that remain under evacuation alert is classified as “being held,” meaning it’s not expected to grow beyond its current perimeter.

The Mounties say they are investigating the circumstances leading up to the motorhome leaving the roadway.

The number of wildfires across B.C. has been holding steady at just under 70, despite an ongoing dry spell and heat wave gripping much of the province.

Heat warnings remain in effect for the Fraser Canyon, the southern Thompson and Okanagan regions and inland sections of the north and central coasts.

Environment Canada says a gradual cooling trend is expected at the end of the week.

Daily maximum temperature records have been tumbling across B.C. for the last several days, including in Lytton, which on Tuesday matched the previous day’s high of 41.3 C, marking the hottest temperature recorded across Canada so far this year.

Another 28 communities set daily records for Aug. 26.

In Vernon, the mercury hit 37.2 C, eclipsing the previous high of 32.8 C set in 1916.

It was 31 C in the northern community of Fort Nelson, where the previous record of 30 C was set in 1950.

In Metro Vancouver, the regional district says the hot, sunny conditions have combined with local emissions to produce smog, prompting an air-quality warning.

The warning about elevated levels of ground-level ozone spans central and eastern parts of the Fraser Valley. It follows an earlier smoke and smoke warning issued by the district last weekend.

Communities that broke daily records also include Chetwynd, Dawson, Fort St. John, Clearwater, Merritt, Quesnel, Sparwood, Gibsons and Qualicum Beach.

In 2021, Lytton set the record for Canada’s hottest temperature of 49.6 C. The next day, a wildfire destroyed most of the village.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press