Hundreds of horses rescued from raging Canadian forest fires

Hundreds of horses have been saved from the forest fires burning west of Kelowna, British Columbia, which has driven more than 11,000 people from their homes.

The fires broke out last weekend, on Saturday 18 July, and have quickly grown to cover more than 300 hectares.

Several organisations, including BC Interior Horse Rescue Society, the Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team and the British Columbia SPCA were involved in the animal rescue efforts, with many volunteers working overnight.

Kim Stinson, president of BC Interior Horse Rescue, said people had underestimated how quickly a fire can spread.

She said residents had not left enough time to get their livestock out, adding: “if you’re on alert, that’s when to get your livestock out.”

Some 30 to 40 trailers from around the region were driven into the fire area to evacuate animals, in an effort organised through word of mouth.

Rescue organisations have been overwhelmed with displaced animals, and although most of the evacuated horses are staying at three area foster centres, the farms desperately need donations of hay and food to ensure adequate supplies.

Kelowna suffered devastating fires in 2003, following which owners could not return to their farms for six weeks.

However, firefighters have largely managed to contain the most recent blaze, and roughly 6,000 evacuees were able to return to their homes on Wednesday.

Click here to learn how to help.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now