Sawt Falasteen - Wildfire threatens Canada wine region

John Glavina, who owns the Giant Head Estate Winery in the community of Summerland, told AFP he got an evacuation order just hours after the Bald Range fire ignited on August 7.

He got in the car with his wife, dog, passport and laptop, but left behind 20 barrels of red wine in a cellar, three tanks of white wine and 14 tonnes of grapes on the vine.

"We have CAD$45,000 (US$32,000) worth of crop that we could lose," he said.

Officials have said the Bald Range blaze spread at a terrifying pace, forcing some 20,000 people to flee their homes and killing an 80-year-old woman.

The fire has ravaged parts of western Canada's Okanagan region, one of the country's highest-regarded wine areas.

The varied soil types surrounding Okanagan Lake allow producers to make a range of wines, from Merlot to Chardonnay.

Glavina, who previously worked in software, bought a patch of land in Summerland in 2002, converting an old apple orchard into a winery.

His pinot noirs and sauvignon blancs have received international acclaim, even as he has become increasingly touched by the threats climate change poses to both his community and the wine-making industry.

- 'Huge hit' -

While this summer marked Glavina's first evacuation, he recalled how wildfire smoke in previous summers left the berries and flowers in his vineyards smelling "like an ashtray" and when British Columbia's 2021 heat dome imperiled a range of crops.

He said Summerland farmers who did not evacuate have sent him encouraging reports indicating limited impact to his property, but businesses across the region are suffering.

Emma Roberts owns the Howling Bluff Winery in Penticton, which has not yet been placed under an evacuation order and is hosting some of those displaced from Summerland.

"There are basically no visitors, it's a huge hit for us, especially at the busiest time of year," she told AFP.

In the hours after the fire broke out, Summerland wineries took to social media to announce immediate closures.

"This is an incredibly difficult time for our team," wrote Haywire Winery, a 10-acre property overlooking Okanagan Lake.

"Watching the fire spread so quickly and seeing so many displaced is heartbreaking," the post said.

Wine Growers British Columbia, an industry group, did not immediately reply to a request for comment but said last week that it could not speculate on the impact on the industry while emergency crews were still battling the fire.

The fire remains active and officials in British Columbia have not yet confirmed when Summerland residents can return home.

L.Hussein--SF-PST