The chief of the Okanagan Indian Band says about 230 homes have been destroyed by a raging wildfire near Vernon, B.C.

Dan Wilson said the homes of 30 band members and 200 non-band homes have been destroyed by the Bradley Creek fire.

He said during a news conference on Tuesday that the reserve "looked like a war zone" when he took a helicopter tour of the devastation.

"It was hard to recognize my community from the air with all the structures and the forest gone."

The wildfire has been one of the most devastating events in the band's history, he said. 

Wilson described the event as "surreal," saying the destruction is just sinking in.

The fire started late Friday and was fanned by winds gusting up to 115 kilometres per hour. 

"The point that I really want to make to everyone is that the fire spread so fast that some of our members only had five minutes to evacuate,." Wilson said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2026.