Smoke from the Drought Hill wildfire on July 30 (photo courtesy of the BCWS /website)

By Liam Verster

Drought Hill Wildfire Cause

Vehicle fire confirmed as cause of Peachland wildfire

Aug 5, 2025 | 11:32 AM

The cause of the Peachland wildfire has been confirmed, with the fire status having been downgraded over the weekend.

Peachland Fire Chief, Ian Cummings, said the fire sparked on the afternoon of July 30 after a vehicle caught fire.

“There was a truck fire on Drought Hill, and that spread to the wildland,” Cummings told Vernon Matters.

“It was an uphill slope so fire moves pretty quick up hill and with the wind pushing it it got outside of our ability to manage it really quicky.”

Cummings said he had not spoken with the driver of the truck, so did not know if the vehicle was pulled over and then caught fire or if the flames started first and the truck was then pulled to the side of the road.

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“If you’re driving along and you have mechanical problems, your instinct is going to be to pull over to the side of the road, and of course by the side of the road is also where the grass is and the chance of spreading is always greater [there],” the fire chief said.

“We can always look at everything and critique it. Like if your vehicle is burning maybe leave it in the middle of the road, but then that causes a hazard as well.”

The fire reached a size of 57 hectares at its peak, but the fire chief said there were no structures damaged and no injuries reported.

The fire classification was downgraded to Being Held as of the latest B.C. Wildfire Service update, meaning it would be unlikely to spread any further.

Cummings said his crews were on site Tuesday morning mopping up any hot spots and patrolling the fire boundary, noting people may see occasional smoke from the area as work to fully extinguish the fire continues.

by Liam Verster

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