The Bald Ridge wildfire in B.C. is still burning. Many Canadians wonder how it spread so quickly.

The fire started 15 km northwest of Summerland. It grew to 50 square kilometers in three hours.

The Summerland district had to evacuate. Over 10,000 homes were under alert. Nearly 22,000 people left their homes.

By Monday, the fire had grown to 156 square kilometers. Southern B.C. had yellow and orange air quality warnings.

Lori Daniels said the fire spread quickly. It went from a small fire to 10,000 hectares in 24 hours.

Daniels said this was the fastest fire spread in the southern interior of B.C.

Cliff Chapman said the conditions in B.C. are explosive.

Chapman said fires will be challenging to control.

The conditions are unlike anything seen before.

Daniels said the fire did not follow a typical path.

The winds came from the west and pushed the fire down the hill. The fire then spread quickly.

Daniels said the winds are like a low-grade hurricane.

Environment Canada said the wind is blowing at 20 km/h. It will gust to 40 km/h.

The heat in the area can make the winds pick up faster.

Tanzina Mohsin said heated surfaces make winds rise. This can make fires spread faster.

Mohsin said this could be why the Summerland fire spread quickly.

Daniels said fires are happening during a time of drought.

B.C. defines a drought as a period of abnormally dry conditions.

Daniels said heat domes bring record-breaking temperatures and dry conditions.

When the heat dome breaks down, it brings windy conditions that can start fires.

Daniels said drought and lightning can start many fires at the same time.

Katrina Eyvindson said the snowpack in B.C. was low. This helped the wildfires start.

Eyvindson said high temperatures and little rain make fuels dry. Dry fuels make fires spread quickly.

The causes of the Bald Ridge wildfire are still unclear. But Eyvindson said climate change is a key factor.

Climate change will affect everyone. We need to work together to find solutions.

Mohsin said climate change is changing the environment. This makes fires more likely.

High temperatures increase evaporation and make fuels dry.

There have been 620 wildfires in Canada in 2026.

Natural Resources Canada linked the wildfires to high temperatures and drought.

The latest fire shows that Canadians need to be prepared.

Kent Moore said all areas of Canada are warming. This means wildfires will become more common.

Daniels said people in Canada are susceptible to evacuations and wildfires.

People need to understand how vulnerable they are. They need to make changes.

We need to work together to solve this problem.

Get the facts about the news.

Add Global News to your Google preferences.

Get the day's top news stories by email.

Get the day's top news stories from Canada and around the world by email.