Summerland (Aug. 10, 2026) — Image of the Bald Range Fire. Photo by B.C. Wildfire Service

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Out of control wildfires in B.C. have forced more than 20,000 people from their homes, while winery staff and owners in the Okanagan region can only wonder what will be left of their vineyards when they’re able to return.

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The Bald Range wildfire, burning west of Okanagan Lake, grew to more than 13,600 hectares by Monday after rapidly expanding over the weekend.

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Evacuation orders are in place for Summerland, Peachland, Brent Lake and Shingle Creek.

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The province declared a state of emergency on Saturday as wildfires continued to spread rapidly throughout the Okanagan.

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The Okanagan Valley is one of B.C.’s most important wine-producing regions, meaning the fires are threatening not only homes and businesses, but vineyards in the middle of the growing season.

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Matt Sartor, president and vineyard manager of Solvero Wines, has twice been forced to evacuate from his home with his family as the fires rage through the Okanagan Valley.

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The family first evacuated to Summerland on Friday night around 7:30 p.m., and were later evacuated to Penticton around midnight.

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“We’ve seen some images from Garnet Valley where we live that have shown pretty devastating losses to a lot of people’s property,” Sartor said. “Our house looks to be still standing, so we’re incredibly grateful for that.”

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Garnet Valley, where Sartor’s home and vineyard are located, has been among the areas affected by evacuation orders as the fire spread through the region.

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Sartor, his wife, children and two workers are staying in the home of a stranger who offered housing to evacuees.

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“The amount of support that people have offered in the past 48 hours has been really remarkable,” Sartor said.

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While Sartor waits to return to his property, he is uncertain about what the fire means for his vineyard.

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“Last I heard, there were some fires in our vineyard, so we need to get in first to be able to assess what impact it has had, but it is unlikely that we’re going to have a usable crop,” Sartor said.

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He explained that once he can return to the vineyard, they can test the grapes by tasting them as well as sending them in for testing to measure the amount of guaiacol compounds inside the grapes.

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Summerland (Aug. 10, 2026) — Image of the Bald Range Fire. Photo by B.C. Wildfire Service

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Tyson Felt, owner of Heaven’s Gate Winery in Summerland, has spent the past four days away from his property after being forced to evacuate.

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“We’re not able to open or sell any wine, which is the least of my concerns right now,” Felt said. “That’s kind of a similar problem for anybody who’s been evacuated with a business, is you can’t do your business.”