Penticton, B.C. | Reuters — Wildfires ripping through British Columbia’s wine country have ruined grapes, spoiled fruit on trees and caught cattle in dangerous areas as farmers and workers evacuate to church basements and friends’ homes.
The impact on the wine industry will last years, said Ron Kubek, owner of Lightning Rock Winery, who had fled to a safe area and was keeping tabs on his staff, friends and business associates who were scattered after flames burned their homes.
The Bald Range wildfire over the weekend triggered the largest evacuation in B.C. this summer, and killed at least one person. Fire has forced more than 20,000 people to leave their homes in the Okanagan Valley, one of Canada’s premier wine regions and a tourist destination known for orchards and sparkling lakes.
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