'I'm still in shock': Musician recalls performing as wildfire reached Kelowna, B.C.

Members of the Ontario band Road Waves were playing an outdoor show in Kelowna, B.C., on Aug. 17, 2023 when the McDougall Creek wildfire jumped Okanagan Lake. (Facebook)

Ontario musician Ji Yehia has never been as close to a fire as he was while playing a show in Kelowna, B.C., on Thursday night.

The 28-year-old frontrunner of Road Waves, a Niagara-based band, describes watching smoke from the McDougall Creek wildfire glow orange as the outdoor concert at Red Bird Brewing progressed.

“A lot of people didn’t have evacuation orders yet, they were just kind of sitting ducks until they heard the news,” Yehia told CTV News Friday. “Some people looked pretty worried though. We still had a dance floor going, but it was an emptier night at the venue for sure.”

By the end of the show, word had spread that the fire had jumped the Okanagan Lake and was moving closer to the venue.

“I was getting texts from the people hosting us in West Kelowna saying, you know, kind of to swiftly move out of there because we’re safe where we’re sleeping but it may not be at the venue,” said Yehia.

While driving to West Kelowna, the band caught its first glimpse of the flames.

“You could see the whole shape of the mountain from the fire. It was wild—I’m still kind of beside myself right now. It was a bit hard getting to sleep too,” said Yehia.

On Thursday night, the cities of Kelowna and West Kelowna both declared a state of emergency due to the fire.

More than 2,400 properties are under evacuation orders and more than 4,800 properties are under alert.

“This wildfire season is so much worse than I remember,” said Yehia, whose band began touring Canada in 2017. This summer tour is Road Waves’ first since the start of the pandemic. “I’m still in shock that I even saw flames that close.”

July data from BC Wildfire Service confirmed this year is the province’s worst wildfire season on record.

There are currently 374 active fire burning in the province, 159 of which are classified as out of control.

On Friday morning, BC Wildfire Service said the McDougall Creek blaze grew six times its size overnight and has burned 68 square kilometres in land.

Later in the day, Yehia and his band will travel to Vancouver for a show. He says the wildfire situation is making Road Waves rethink their safety precautions and pay closer attention to the news while on the road. It’s also cementing his passion for live performance.

“It feels like we’re bringing a little bit of lightness to people and helping them forget—even just for a moment,” said Yehia.