Cause of destructive McDougall Creek fire still under investigation

Photo: Ariel Cawley

Homes burning in the Westside Road area on the night of Aug. 17, 2023.

It's been more than a year and a half since the McDougall Creek wildfire tore through the hills of West Kelowna and destroyed hundreds of homes, but the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

One of the most destructive local wildfires in recent memory, the McDougall fire destroyed 303 structures in West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, Kelowna and the RDCO. The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimated the fire caused $480 million in insured damage.

After seeking information about the massive fire's cause for months through the BC Wildfire Service and B.C.'s Freedom of Information system, Castanet has learned the investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing.

BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Shaylee Stearns says a report into the cause of the fire is expected to be completed some time next month.

The fire was first discovered at about 6 p.m. on Aug. 15, 2023, burning 10 kilometres north of the City of West Kelowna. A small amount of smoke could be seen from Kelowna on the evening of Aug. 15, and the BC Wildfire Service told Castanet at the time that eight firefighters and two helicopters were responding to the small fire.

Photo: Nicholas Johansen

The McDougall Creek wildfire burning on Aug. 15, 2023.

But due to smoky conditions across the region, the helicopters were unable to help the next morning.

By the night of Aug. 16, the fire was estimated at 64 hectares in size and nearly 5,000 homes had been placed on evacuation alert. But things really picked up on Aug. 17, when a “perfect storm” of strong, erratic winds hit the bone-dry region, causing the fire to grow rapidly.

The fire exhibited Rank 6 behaviour, the most aggressive fire behaviour on the BC Wildfire Service's scale.

Residents were forced to leave their homes as whole neighbourhoods were quickly evacuated, with the fire bearing down on West Kelowna. Emergency officials first confirmed that structures had been lost in the early morning hours of Aug. 18, as fire crews fought the raging blaze through the night.

Later that day, West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund called it “one of the most challenging nights of firefighting in our history,” and “a fire chief's worst nightmare.”

Over the following weeks, hundreds of firefighters from all over the province helped fight the fire on several fronts, saving many homes in the region. The fire burned more than 15,000 hectares, forcing the evacuation of 30,700 people.

On Sept. 20, more than five weeks after it first started, the BC Wildfire Service declared the fire as “held,” bringing an end to the nightmare for many. But with the widespread destruction, rebuilding of many homes continues to this day.