Saskatchewan-born winery owner describes frantic evacuation from B.C. wildfire

The smoke appeared first — a dark plume rising against the Okanagan sky.

For Saskatchewan-born Tyler Harlton, the wildfire threatening Summerland, B.C. began with something familiar: smoke on the horizon.

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Harlton, co-owner of ONES non-alcoholic winery, said that within hours the flames had reached the edge of Summerland, turning an ordinary Friday night into an evacuation for roughly 20,000 people.

“Summerland is surrounded by ranches and orchards, and the fire burned through a lot of that to the town,” Harlton said.

He added that what followed was a frantic evacuation.

“After midnight, the road to the evacuation route to Summerland was packed with vehicles,” he said.

“There were emergency responders racing up towards town, and the rest of us headed in the other direction.”

Harlton said he and his family evacuated to Vancouver, while his business partner and his family headed to Penticton, where thousands of evacuees were seeking shelter.

But with friends losing homes, farms and livestock, Harlton said the winery is far from his biggest concern.

“To be honest, right now our business is secondary,” he said. “I think everyone that was evacuated on Friday, the entire town, everything is a bit up in the air.”

Harlton said for many residents, the hardest part has been not knowing what awaits them when they return.

“I think one of the hardest parts is not having information, not knowing if your house is there or if your ranch is still there,” he said.

And despite the fire appearing to be contained, he said the threat still feels close.

“It almost feels like right now, once there’s an active fire, if the wind picks up and the wind goes in a certain direction, we’re right back in it,” he said.

Harlton said the speed of the fire caught people off guard, even those accustomed to wildfire season in the Okanagan.

“There’s not a lot of precedents for this — a fire that hot, that moved that fast.”

For those outside the evacuation zone, Harlton said the scale of the situation can be difficult to grasp, but added that the images of flames and burned structures have helped show people just how serious it has become.

“I think that visual of seeing flames not only there but structures burnt, I think the message is getting out there,” he said.

While Summerland residents wait for more information, support has poured in from across the country.

“We received hundreds and hundreds of messages,” he said. “Our inbox is full of people just being like, ‘Hey, our thoughts are with you.’”

He said people across British Columbia — and as far away as Saskatchewan, Ontario and the United States — have reached out to check on friends, family and strangers in Summerland.

For Harlton, that support is a reminder of what makes Summerland special.

“It’s a tight-knit community,” he said.

With no clear timeline for when residents will return, Harlton said the plan is simple: check for updates each morning, wait for more information and stay put.

“I can tell you from being in this position, not knowing how it’s going to play out, it’s not easy to deal with,” he said.

Although the homes, farms and businesses of Summerland may be waiting behind an evacuation line, Harlton said the community itself hasn’t disappeared.

“Even though we’re spread apart now, we are going to come back together and get things going again,” he said.

Read more:

• ‘Like doomsday’: Thousands flee B.C. wildfire as RCMP report possible death
• B.C. declares state of emergency as 20,000 flee explosive B.C. wildfire
• Saskatchewan reports 46 active wildfires, crews continue containment efforts