When the Mountain Burns, We Stand Together

There is something about summer in British Columbia that stays with you.

The smell of pine in the warm air. Sunlight dancing across the lakes. Long

evenings on patios and docks. Vineyards stretching across the hillsides.

Families loading up vehicles for weekends at the lake.

And in the Okanagan, summer is more than a season. It is part of who we are. But once again, that familiar beauty has been interrupted by something else we have come to know far too well. Smoke on the horizon.

For many British Columbians, wildfire season no longer feels like something happening somewhere else. It means watching the sky. Checking the wind. Refreshing evacuation maps. Keeping your phone close in case an alert arrives.

And for some families, it means facing the question no one ever wants to answer: What do we take if we have to leave?

In August, communities throughout the Okanagan have faced evacuation

orders and alerts as wildfires threatened homes and lives. An emergency

alert on August 8 ordered evacuations in areas including Summerland,

Faulder and areas south of Peachland. Across the Okanagan, residents,

First Nations and local governments have continued responding to

changing wildfire conditions.

Behind every evacuation order is a human story.

A family wondering whether their home will still be standing when they return.

A senior trying to decide which photographs can fit into one bag.

A child asking why they have to leave.

A farmer worried about animals and land.

A business owner wondering what tomorrow will bring.

A firefighter heading toward the flames while everyone else is being told to move away from them. Those are the stories behind the maps and headlines. And they remind us that a wildfire doesn't only burn trees. It disrupts lives.

To Our Firefighters and First Responders: Thank You.

There are people across British Columbia doing extraordinary work in extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

Firefighters.

First responders.

Emergency personnel.

Pilots.

Heavy-equipment

operators.

RCMP officers.

Search-and-rescue teams.

Indigenous emergency responders.

Local government workers.

Emergency Support Services staff and volunteers.

While many of us watch the smoke from a distance, these men and women are stepping directly into uncertainty. They work exhausting hours, often far from their own families, protecting communities and people they may never personally know. There are no words big enough for that kind of service. But there are two words we should keep saying: Thank you.

The Okanagan Knows How to Stand Together.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful things to emerge from frightening moments is seeing what community really means. It is the neighbour checking on the elderly couple down the road.It is someone opening their home to an evacuated family. It is businesses donating food and supplies. It is hotels finding rooms. It is volunteers showing up at reception centres. It is people making space for pets, livestock, strangers and friends. During the recent evacuations, the Province secured more than 1,000 hotel rooms in Penticton, Kelowna and West Kelowna for evacuees, along with group lodging throughout the Okanagan. Emergency-support staff and volunteers have also been deployed to help those forced from their homes.

That is what community looks like. Not simply living beside one another. Showing up for one another. We cannot become numb to this after so many difficult wildfire seasons. There is a danger in becoming accustomed to the images.

Another plume of smoke.

Another evacuation alert.

Another highway closure.

Another aircraft disappearing toward the mountains.

But we should never allow these moments to become ordinary. Because somewhere beneath that smoke is someone's home. Someone's family.

Someone's livelihood. Someone's entire world.

And while we cannot control everything nature brings, we can control how prepared we are, how responsibly we behave and how we respond to the people around us. Check on your neighbours. Keep a grab-and-go bag ready. Know your evacuation route. Pay attention to official alerts. Respect fire restrictions. And please—never assume that one careless spark cannot matter.

British Columbia Is More Than Its Landscape.

We often describe British Columbia as one of the most beautiful places on Earth.And it is.But perhaps the greatest beauty of this province isn't found in our mountains, forests, lakes or vineyards.Perhaps it is found in our people. People who run toward danger.People who open their doors.People who volunteer. People who rebuild.People who refuse to let their neighbours face disaster alone.

To everyone currently living beneath smoky skies, watching an evacuation map, worrying about someone they love or waiting to hear when they can finally return home: We are thinking of you.

To everyone fighting these fires: We are grateful for you. And to every community across the Okanagan and British Columbia facing another uncertain wildfire season: Stay safe. Stay prepared. Look after one another. The smoke will eventually clear. The mountains will still be there. And together, we will be too. If you are displaced, here are some official sources offering support and resources: If you need temporary emergency support and living essentials, visit Emergency Support Services. For more information on BC Wildfires and updates on current road closures, evacuations, and alerts, visit Wildfire Service - Province of British Columbia.

For a resource list on evacuation reception centres, emergency links, and other resources, visit Resources | Central Okanagan Emergency Operations. If you are looking to help, here are some places you can donate to and support for wildfire relief: For information on where you can provide financial donations, visit Province of British Columbia - EmergencyInfoBC and scroll down to 'How you can help'.

For information on where you can provide other support and donations for the Bald Range wildfire, visit Latest Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Updates and Resources and scroll down to the ‘donations’ section. If you’re local to the Penticton area and are looking to provide item donations for those displaced by the Bald Range wildfire, find a list of what’s needed and where you can drop it off at Wildfire Response - OneSky Community Resources.

S.E.Linn