Destructive West Kelowna Blaze That Spurred BC’s Wildfire Crisis Is Under Control

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above lakefront homes in West Kelowna, B.C., on Aug. 18, 2023. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

The large wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in West Kelowna, B.C., and was a key front in the province’s most devastating fire season on record is now considered “held” after raging out of control since mid-August.

The 139-square-kilometre McDougall Creek fire destroyed or damaged nearly 190 properties and forced the evacuation of thousands of people.