20th anniversary of Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire
Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire in August 2003. (Photo courtesy of City of Kelowna.
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Aug 16, 2023 | 11:30 AMRuss Byth
It was 20 years ago today (Aug. 16) that the Okanagan Mountain Park Wildfire started near Rattlesnake Island south of Kelowna following a lightning storm.
When it was over, almost 26,000 hectares had been burned and 239 buildings, mostly homes, had been destroyed on the east side of the lake.
A total of 27,000 residents were forced to evacuate and 60 fire departments, 1,400 armed forces troops and 1,000 forest fire fighters were involved.
