{"id":107708,"date":"2026-08-11T08:29:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?p=107708"},"modified":"2026-08-11T08:29:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:29:30","slug":"b-c-rcmp-investigate-cause-of-deadly-summerland-wildfire-that-sent-20000-fleeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/11\/b-c-rcmp-investigate-cause-of-deadly-summerland-wildfire-that-sent-20000-fleeing\/","title":{"rendered":"B.C. RCMP investigate cause of deadly Summerland wildfire that sent 20,000 fleeing"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brenna Owen RCMP are investigating the cause of the deadly wildfire that forced 20,000 to evacuate as it roared towards the Okanagan community of Summerland in British Columbia’s Interior, while saying they also want to stamp out “misinformation” about how the fire started. Widely circulated social media videos show someone lighting a bear-banger device, and they are blamed for the fire, but police say the incident occurred kilometres for where the Bald Range blaze started last Friday and the person was interviewed by police as a witness and not a suspect. “The public is cautioned against making false statements and to stop the continuation of misinformation on social media,” police said in a statement on Monday. Investigators are looking into “all reports of suspicious activity which may have led… <\/p>\n

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By Brenna Owen RCMP are investigating the cause of the deadly wildfire that forced 20,000 to evacuate as it roared towards the Okanagan community of Summerland in British Columbia’s Interior, while saying they also want to stamp out “misinformation” about how the fire started. Widely circulated social media videos show someone lighting a bear-banger device, and they are blamed for the fire, but police say the incident occurred kilometres for where the Bald Range blaze started last Friday and the person was interviewed by police as a witness and not a suspect. “The public is cautioned against making false statements and to stop the continuation of misinformation on social media,” police said in a statement on Monday. Investigators are looking into “all reports of suspicious activity which may have led... <\/p>\n

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Widely circulated social media videos show someone lighting a bear-banger device, and they are blamed for the fire, but police say the incident occurred kilometres for where the Bald Range blaze started last Friday and the person was interviewed by police as a witness and not a suspect. “The public is cautioned against making false statements and to stop the continuation of misinformation on social media,” police said in a statement on Monday. 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