Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area H

Its land, ranked in BC

Shares of the land area, worked out from the Province's maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.

Large fires (1,000 ha or more) since 1990

Since 1990, 13 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Area H, together 55,719 ha, 12% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was the Garrison Lake wildfire in 2021, 14,618 ha.

1. 2026Border 2 wildfire6,596 ha in all · under 1% of it here32 ha here
2. 2025Placer Creek wildfire3,135 ha in all · 93% of it here2,926 ha here
3. 2025Holding Creek wildfire1,015 ha in all1,015 ha here
4. 2024Calcite Creek wildfire6,684 ha in all6,684 ha here
5. 2022Heather Lake wildfire7,364 ha in BC7,364 ha here
6. 2021Garrison Lake wildfire14,618 ha in all14,618 ha here
7. 2018Unnamed fire K6269013,626 ha in all · 15% of it here2,057 ha here
8. 2017Unnamed fire K5140612,246 ha in all · 29% of it here3,609 ha here
9. 2017Unnamed fire K606433,198 ha in all3,198 ha here
10. 2009Brookmere wildfire2,869 ha in all · 24% of it here679 ha here

And 3 more

1. 2006Tatoosh (Canada) wildfire5,460 ha in BC5,460 ha here
2. 2001Unnamed fire K602562,319 ha in all · 68% of it here1,569 ha here
3. 1998Unnamed fire K606399,863 ha in all9,863 ha here

Smaller mapped fires since 2016

Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 31 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area H, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.

1. 2026Daynar Creek wildfire722 ha in all · 37% of it here268 ha here
2. 2026Unnamed fire K61186494 ha in all494 ha here
3. 2026Grasshopper Mountain wildfire74 ha in all74 ha here
4. 2026Unnamed fire K6175848 ha in all48 ha here
5. 2026Unnamed fire K6175612 ha in all12 ha here
6. 2026Unnamed fire K619573.2 ha in all3.2 ha here
7. 2025August Lake wildfire22 ha in all22 ha here
8. 2025Unnamed fire V120072.4 ha in all2.4 ha here

And 23 more

1. 2025Unnamed fire K621492 ha in all2 ha here
2. 2025Unnamed fire K617521.2 ha in all1.2 ha here
3. 2025Unnamed fire K613350.7 ha in all0.7 ha here
4. 2024Unnamed fire K626768.3 ha in all8.3 ha here
5. 2024Mount Thynne wildfire4.1 ha in all · 75% of it here3.1 ha here
6. 2024Placer Mountain wildfire1.8 ha in all1.8 ha here
7. 2023Rice Road wildfire16 ha in all16 ha here
8. 2022Champion Creek wildfire182 ha in all182 ha here
9. 2022Fat Dog Creek wildfire43 ha in all43 ha here
10. 2022Unnamed fire K628712.3 ha in all2.3 ha here
11. 2022Holding Creek wildfire0.3 ha in all0.3 ha here
12. 2021Fat Dog Creek wildfire33 ha in all33 ha here
13. 2020Dry Lake wildfire39 ha in all39 ha here
14. 2020Unnamed fire K605946.9 ha in all6.9 ha here
15. 2020Unnamed fire K513046.6 ha in all6.6 ha here
16. 2020Unnamed fire K612963.5 ha in all3.5 ha here
17. 2019Unnamed fire K5170811 ha in all11 ha here
18. 2019Hembrie Mountain wildfire11 ha in all11 ha here
19. 2018Unnamed fire K6121516 ha in all16 ha here
20. 2018Unnamed fire K519232 ha in all · 44% of it here0.9 ha here
21. 2016Unnamed fire K6031012 ha in all12 ha here
22. 2016Unnamed fire K604258.6 ha in all8.6 ha here
23. 2016Unnamed fire K601455 ha in all5 ha here

Small fires that were never mapped as a perimeter aren't listed: the BC Wildfire Service maps an outline for only some of the fires it records. Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.

Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 10, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.

How the land burned

On the Province's ecosystem map, Area H's land is 55% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years), 30% NDT4 (burned often and lightly, every 4 to 50 years), 14% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years) and 1% NDT5 (alpine tundra and subalpine parkland). Its main biogeoclimatic zones are Montane Spruce (37%), Engelmann Spruce–Subalpine Fir (33%) and Interior Douglas-fir (29%). In the dry forest and grassland of NDT4, a century of putting fires out has let many stands fill in, building up fuel that can carry a crown fire instead of a light surface fire. This is how the land burned before fires were put out, not its fire risk today. A report names the type over a lot. Every place's natural fire regime.

Source: BEC Map (biogeoclimatic zones and natural disturbance types), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), read 2026-10-12; areas worked out on the census boundaries.

Evacuations since April 2017

Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 5 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Area H, 1 with an order. The latest order: 10 Km NE of Princeton Wildfire, July 2017.

1. 2026Bald Range WildfireAugust 2026 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen323 homes
2. 2025Lee Creek WildfireSeptember 2025 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Okanagan - Similkameen205 homes
3. 2024Calcite Creek WildfireJuly 2024 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen143 homes
4. 2022Heather Lake WildfireSeptember 2022 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen180 homes
5. 201710 Km NE of Princeton WildfireJuly 2017 · evacuation order and alert · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen373 homes

Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area H, or lay mostly in Area H and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Area H. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.

Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.

Evacuations for floods, landslides and other hazards since April 2017

Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 6 flood events with an evacuation order or alert over Area H, 1 with an order. The latest order: Tulameen, April 2018.

1. 2025Atmospheric River Flood Event - TulameenDecember 2025 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen432 homes
2. 2021Tulameen River FloodingNovember 2021 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen398 homes
3. 2021Similkameen River FloodingNovember 2021 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen251 homes
4. 2021Eastgate, San Ang and Manning Park areasNovember 2021 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen139 homes
5. 2018Electoral Area “H” (Princeton Rural)May 2018 · evacuation alert (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen162 homes
6. 2018TulameenApril 2018 · evacuation order (flood) · Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen284 homes

Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area H, or lay mostly in Area H and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Area H. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.

Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.

140 landslides are recorded inside Area H in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 36 earth slides, 27 debris floods and 20 debris flows. The latest with a date of its own: a debris flood, 12 Aug 2024 (listed under “Pasayten River (Calcite Creek Fire - K61067 - 2024)”). The database lists slides known to have happened, mapped from inventories, satellite images and lidar. It isn't a hazard map, and some parts of BC are mapped in far more detail than others. Landslides near a given lot.

The Province maps about 2.9 km of dikes in Area H, along Tulameen River and Similkameen River; the longest are the Coalmont Townsite dike, the Tulameen Townsite dike and the PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL dike. About 2.4 km is orphaned, with no local authority responsible. A dike lowers the chance of a flood behind it, not to nothing; a report names the dikes within 1 km of a lot and who maintains them. Dikes in BC, by place.

The Province lists 51 dams in Area H, 7 of them classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream: Thirsk Dam (Very High), Thirsk Spillway (Very High) and Headwaters Lake #1 Dam (Very High) among them. Of these, 6 are recorded as breached (failed). The class rates what a failure would do, not how likely one is; a report names the dams within 1 km of a lot. Dams in BC, by place.

9 Water Survey of Canada gauges in Area H have 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Camp Creek at Mouth near Thirsk peaked highest at 4 m³/s in 1972 (56 years on record), Similkameen River above Goodfellow Creek peaked highest at 180 m³/s in 2021 (46 years on record) and Tulameen River below Vuich Creek peaked highest at 242 m³/s in 1995 (45 years on record), among others. 1 set its record in the last 10 years. A gauge's record is the river where it stands, not a flood line; a report gives the nearest gauge on a river by the lot. River gauges in BC, by place.

Radon

In the Okanagan health region, 19 of the 109 homes tested (17%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey were at or above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline; across BC, 143 of 1,817 (7.9%).

The survey tested about a hundred volunteer homes per health region, with one long-term test each. That gives a rough regional picture: it isn't a map, and a region where few or none tested high can still have homes above the guideline. The only way to know is to test the home: radon and buying a home in BC.

Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011), Health Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Health Service Delivery Area Boundaries, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Check one lot: has it burned? · is it on a floodplain map? · is it behind a dike? · is there a dam nearby? · landslides nearby? · contaminated sites nearby? · radon? · how much is too steep?

Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database, version 14.0 (May 2026), Brideau et al. (CC BY 4.0); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

The Province's monitoring records hold groundwater samples from 6 wells in Area H, 2002 to 2022, among them 2 of the Province's observation wells. No well's median passed Health Canada's limits for arsenic, fluoride, manganese, uranium, nitrate or lead. A report names the nearest sampled wells within 10 km of a lot. A neighbouring well isn't your water: test your own. What BC's well water tests for, by place.

Mapped aquifers

16 mapped aquifers lie in Area H, most wells first.

1. 1Aquifer 259: Similkameen River Aquiferunconfined sand and gravel (large river system)593 wells · high productivity
2. 2Aquifer 1024: Princetonfractured sedimentary rock152 wells · moderate productivity
3. 3Aquifer 1010: Tulameenunconfined sand and gravel (late glacial outwash)75 wells · moderate productivity
4. 4Aquifer 1028: Confluence of Hayes and Siwash Creeksunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)57 wells · moderate productivity
5. 5Aquifer 1029: North of Princetonunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)47 wells · high productivity
6. 6Aquifer 1032: Osprey Lakefractured crystalline bedrock39 wells · low productivity
7. 7Aquifer 1026: Hayes Creek, north of Finnegan Creekfractured crystalline bedrock35 wells · low productivity
8. 8Aquifer 1025: Allison Lakeunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)34 wells · moderate productivity
9. 9Aquifer 1031: Hayes Creek south of Trehearne Creekfractured crystalline bedrock13 wells · low productivity
10. 10Aquifer 1011: Coalmont, 5 km southeast of Tulameenunconfined sand and gravel (small stream system)13 wells · moderate productivity

And 6 more

11. 11Aquifer 1033: Chain Lakeconfined sand and gravel (glacial)13 wells · moderate productivity
12. 12Aquifer 1030: 12 km North of Princetonunconfined sand and gravel (medium stream system)11 wells · moderate productivity
13. 13Aquifer 1012: Riddle Mountain, southeast slopefractured crystalline bedrock10 wells · moderate productivity
14. 14Aquifer 1264: The headwaters of the Trout Creek watershed, near the Okanagan Basin boundaryfractured crystalline bedrock6 wells · productivity not rated
15. 15Aquifer 1013: Otter Lake, northwest shorelineunconfined sand and gravel (deltaic)5 wells · moderate productivity
16. 16Aquifer 1027: Chain Lakefractured crystalline bedrock4 wells · moderate productivity

An aquifer is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it, so a sliver of one at the edge can be left out. Wells and productivity are for the whole aquifer, which can reach well beyond Area H. The province maps aquifers mostly in settled valleys, so a lot outside every outline can still have groundwater. Every mapped aquifer in BC · sampled lakes.

Sampled lakes

7 sampled lakes lie in Area H (one only partly), largest first.

1. 1Missezula Lake3 km² · 9% of it heretoo few readings to judge
2. 2Otter Lake (Similkameen River watershed)2 km²too few readings to judge
3. 3Allison Lake61.5 hatoo few readings to judge
4. 4Chain Lake44.4 haclarity 2.7 m (2022–2024)
5. 5Osprey Lake38.9 hatoo few readings to judge
6. 6Link Lake16.1 hatoo few readings to judge
7. 7Kathleen Lake (Okanagan River watershed)0.7 hatoo few readings to judge

A lake is listed for each place that holds at least a twentieth of it or 100 ha of it. Clarity is the median summer Secchi depth; the nutrient class is our reading of Carlson's index from phosphorus or chlorophyll, not a provincial rating. Either is given only for a lake with at least 10 summer readings from open water, spread over at least 3 different years, since 2012. Most lakes have never been sampled, so a lake missing here may simply have no record. Every sampled lake in BC.

Source: Groundwater wells (GWELLS), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Ground Water Aquifers, Water Protection and Sustainability Branch, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); BC Environmental Monitoring Data System (EnMoDS) results, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Normals for 1991-2020 at the Princeton Airport station, about 10 km from the middle of the area's addresses at Princeton (of the communities here with a station within 30 km, the one with the most addresses). * Based on at least 20 or 15 of the 30 years, short of the World Meteorological Organization's standard: treat as a rougher guide. The records are single days measured at the station: the most rain, snow and wind it saw in 1991-2020. Each is one event, not what to expect in a year, and the lot can get more or less than the station. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.

Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 5a (50%); 24% are in 5b, 19% are in 4b, on Natural Resources Canada's 2025 map. Higher numbers are milder winters. What the zones mean.

Solar panels: a south-facing panel tilted at the latitude would make about 1,040 kWh a year for each kW of panels at the middle of the area's addresses at Princeton, about 39 of it in December (estimated from Natural Resources Canada's 1998-2022 sunshine map). An open sky is assumed: the hills, trees and buildings around a lot cut it, and a report sets the lot's own skyline beside it. What solar panels would make in BC.

By the 2050s (2041-2070) at Princeton, climate models project about 14 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 30 days longer and about 12 percentage points less of winter's precipitation falling as snow, each against the same models' 1971-2000 (model projections under SSP2-4.5, a middle path for emissions). The models work on a grid of about 9 by 6 km, which averages valley floors with the slopes around them, so their own figures can sit well off a station's normals and aren't comparable with them. Their own figures there: about 17 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 12 to 33 across the models), against about 3 days in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 145 days (range 135 to 175), against about 115; and about 76% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 66% to 78%), against about 88%. The ranges run from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the models' 2041-2070 figures. The 2050s across BC.

Light at night within 1 km of the middle of the area's addresses at Princeton: none recorded from space, and darker than about 94% of BC's homes (2024 satellite record). A lot away from the centre can be much darker. How dark are BC's nights?

Lightning: around the middle of the area's addresses at Princeton, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 7 days a year and 0.15 flashes per km² a year, more than at 3 in 4 BC homes (the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, 1998-2025 average, on a grid of about 11 by 7 km).

Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 and 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Plant hardiness zones of Canada (2025 map), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain); Daily average solar irradiance on tilted surfaces for all of Canada (1998-2022), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Photovoltaic Potential and Solar Resource Maps of Canada (performance ratio), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Statistically downscaled climate indices from CMIP6 global climate models (CanDCS-M6), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, via the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (Open Government Licence – Canada); VIIRS Nighttime Lights, 2024 annual composite, Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines (Elvidge et al. 2021, Remote Sensing 13(5):922), via Hengl, OpenGeoHub, Zenodo doi 10.5281/zenodo.7750174 (CC BY 4.0); Canadian Lightning Detection Network cloud-to-ground flashes (CanCPLDv1), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).

The BC Energy Regulator maps about 88 km of active oil and gas pipeline in Area H, permitted to FortisBC Energy Inc. A report lists any pipeline within 200 m of a lot, and flags one within 30 m, where digging needs the permit holder's agreement. Pipelines in BC, by place.

The Province lists 16 active waste discharge authorizations in Area H; the commonest kinds: composting site (4), soil amendment (biosolids or other wastes spread on land) (4) and sewage treatment or discharge site (3). Of these, 4 may discharge to air and 6 effluent to water or land. A report lists any within 2 km of a lot, and flags one whose point is on it. Permitted discharges in BC, by place.

The Province maps 5 open gravel pits and quarries in Area H, among them Bud 10 Quarry, Johnson (K & M) Pit and PRM Pit; and 10 other open mine permits: 2 placer mines, 3 mineral exploration permit areas and 5 mineral exploration or mine permit areas. A report lists the permits within 2 km of a lot, names an open pit or quarry within 500 m and flags one whose permit area takes in the lot. Gravel pits and mine permits in BC, by place.

On ParcelMap BC, the land in Area H is 5% private, 7% Crown land with a parcel drawn (5% with no title); no parcel is mapped over 88%, likely most of it untitled Crown land, with lakes and road allowances. A report says who owns the land along a lot's line. Crown land next to a property, and every place's land by owner.

The Ministry of Forests maps 27 active Crown range tenures (27 grazing) reaching into Area H, over 68% of its area, licensed for about 78,498 animal unit months of grazing a year in all. Outside a pound district, keeping livestock off a lot is the owner's fence to build. A report lists any tenure within 1 km of a lot. Open range and grazing in BC, by place.

The Province maps 18 registered traplines over 89% of the area and 3 guide outfitter territories over 76% in Area H. The maps are drawn over titled land too, but traplines are registered on Crown land: on titled land, anyone but the owner or occupier needs their written permission to trap. A report says whether either takes in a lot. Traplines and guiding territories in BC, by place.

Area H lies in wildlife management units 8-5 (42%), 8-4 (17%), 8-6 (16%), 8-7 (9%), 2-1 (8%), 8-8 (7%): the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis sets seasons and closed areas by unit. Hunting and shooting on your own property.

BC Parks maps 6 parks and protected areas (Allison Lake Park, a provincial park; Bromley Rock Park, a provincial park; E.c. Manning Park, a provincial park; Otter Lake Park, a provincial park; and 2 more) reaching into Area H, over 9% of its land. Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 41 sites there. A report names the nearest park and recreation site within 25 km of a lot. Parks and recreation sites in BC, by place.

Check one lot: is there a mineral claim? · power lines nearby? · pipelines nearby? · a gravel pit nearby? · a landfill or plant nearby? · logging planned nearby? · cattle on open range? · is there a trapline? · can I hunt on it? · a park nearby? · Crown land next door?

Source: Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Census figures are from 2021; the next census results start in 2027. Area boundaries are Statistics Canada's census subdivisions, which follow municipal and electoral area lines. The places named at the top are the official place names in the area (BC Geographical Names) with the most 2021 homes nearer them than any other name, on ISED's home points: our reading.

Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence); BC Geographical Names, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Pseudo-Household Demographic Distribution (2021), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).