On August 16, 2003, during one of the driest summers in recent decades, a lightning strike near Rattlesnake Island in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park started a wildfire that spread rapidly to the north and east, fanned by constant wind. As homes were engulfed by the flames and many others were threatened, 45,000 residents in affected areas were evacuated. By the time the fire was under control it had burned 250 square kilometers (61,776 acres) and destroyed 239 homes. Most of the trees in Okanagan Mountain Park were burned, and the park was closed. Amazingly, there was no loss of human life during the entire incident.

The Regional District of the Central Okanagan’s Emergency Response Plan was put into action and the Emergency Operations Centre at the main firehall coordinated the efforts of over 60 fire departments across B.C., over 1,000 forestry fire fighters, contractors and loggers as well as 1,400 members of the Canadian armed forces.

Among the losses were the 12 wooden trestles and 2 steel spans on the Myra Canyon National Historic Site. The bridges were part of the closed Kettle Valley Railway which was purchased by the provincial government in 1990 and many volunteer hours had gone into work on the trestles by the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society, established in 1992. As part of the trans-Canada Trail the Myra Canyon trestles were becoming a major heritage tourism destination when they were destroyed. They are now being rebuilt with financial assistance from the provincial and federal governments.

The new Stop of Interest sign commemorating The Okanagan Mountain Fire of 2003 was erected in 2008 as part of a BC150 initiative by the Ministry of Transportation.

Resources:

Myra Canyon
» www.trailsbc.ca/okanagan_region/myra-canyon.html

Okanagan Mountain Fire on Wikipedia
» en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Okanagan_Mountain_Park_Fir