‘Big relief’: Evacuation alerts lifted on multiple B.C. wildfires

A wildfire, seen in this handout photo, burning near Keremeos, B.C., on Friday, July 11, 2025, THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — BC Wildfire Service (Mandatory Credit)

British Columbia’s Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has rescinded multiple evacuation alerts as the threat from a series of wildfires appears to have passed.

The August Lake wildfire near Princeton, B.C., is listed as “being held” and the alert for residents that was in place since Saturday has been lifted.

Residents of about 30 properties were previously ordered evacuated due to the fire, which is currently listed by the wildfire services as 14 hectares in size.

The nearby Princeton Golf Club says in a post online that news of the alert being lifted is a “big relief for everyone in the area” and it is grateful for the efforts of firefighters and air personnel.

The regional district also lifted an evacuation alert near Cathedral Provincial Park due to the Young Creek wildfire, saying the threat to safety has passed.

The BC Wildfire Service listed 67 active wildfires in the province, and 40 that have been declared out in the last week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2025