Man arrested in relation to suspicious Penticton, B.C., wildfire

The province is urging Labour Day travellers to be fire conscious, as tinder-dry conditions persist in many places.

RCMP in Penticton say one man has been arrested in connection to a suspicious wildfire that began in the community on Monday.

In a news release, police said he was taken into custody near the scene a short time after the fire was reported in a greenbelt near Ridgedale and Penticton avenues.

With support from helicopters dropping water from above, Penticton firefighters quickly managed to bring the fire under control.

Video from the scene shows a large plume of smoke from the fire just metres from a row of houses.

“I really want to emphasize how important it is to be personally responsible right now, because a wildfire can destroy people’s homes,” said B.C. Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene.

“It can destroy livelihoods, really throw communities into chaos. And we never want to be in that position.”

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 80 fires were burning across the province, with 19 of them considered out of control.

Dozens have ignited over the past couple of days, and the B.C. Wildfire Service said most of those are believed to be lightning caused.

“That includes new starts as well as holdover lightning-caused fires,” said fire information officer Emelie Peacock. “So, lightning strikes that happened days or even weeks ago, and have popped up with the hot and dry weather.”

Those hot and dry conditions are expected to persist in many places for the next several days, keeping the fire danger rating elevated.

Evacuation alerts in Peachland have been rescinded as crews have managed to get the upper hand on a fire that began there when a motorhome went off the road near Highway 97 on Tuesday night.

Although it is late in the fire season, Greene is encouraging people living in fire-prone parts of the province to have plans in place, because new starts can spread rapidly in these conditions.

“Folks can be prepared by getting your grab and go bag ready,” she said. “We do have information about how to set one up for your household, for yourself, on Prepared B.C. It’s got lots of good information on how to be prepared for different hazards.”

A total of 981 fires have scorched more than 730,000 hectares across the province so far in 2025.

• More B.C. wildfire coverage