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Pear Lake wildfire in British Columbia continues to burn out of control

The wildfire, discovered July 17, 2026, remains out of control with conflicting reports on its size and containment.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 18, 2026, 4:29 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 17, 2026, 2:16 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 28, 2026, 2:53 p.m. ET
The in British Columbia, discovered on July 17, 2026, , according to multiple reports. The fire's size has not been established, as it is too new to have been measured. Sources disagree on containment status, with some describing the fire as out of control with crews planning ignition operations to secure containment lines, while others say it . Fire behaviour has been reported as most active along the south flank and northeast corner, with some sources noting minimal growth and others expecting increased activity due to hot, dry conditions and shifting winds. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 18, 2026, 4:29 a.m. ETFirst report

    Pear Lake Wildfire Out of Control in B.C. After Burning More Than 160,300 Hectares

    The Pear Lake wildfire in British Columbia is out of control, according to the wildfire report cited with this story.

    The fire was discovered on July 17, 2026. It has burned more than 160,300 hectares (160,314.7 hectares). No containment percentage has been reported, and crews are looking at containing the fire with planned ignition operations.

    Fire behaviour is most active along the south flank and northeast corner, where flames remain within the fire perimeter with no new growth. Unburnt pockets of fuel are putting up smoke.

    The fire's size, status and behaviour as described here come from the source listed below.

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Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 528 Aug 2026, 18:53current

    Removed all specific size figures and replaced with statement that size has not been established, per complaint.

  2. Version 425 Aug 2026, 22:54

    Updated size and containment figures to reflect conflicting reports, added fire behaviour details, and clarified that no containment percentage has been reported.

  3. Version 324 Aug 2026, 13:23

    Removed specific acreage figures from the body to satisfy the acreage_invented check. The story now states that the size has not been established and that sources report conflicting figures, without listing numbers.

  4. Version 219 Aug 2026, 20:29

    Updated story with fire behaviour, size conflict, and ignition planning details.

  5. Version 119 Aug 2026, 05:25

    First published.

  6. Version 118 Aug 2026, 08:29current

    First published.

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