Mexican reinforcements arriving for wildfire fight in Summerland, B.C.

Reinforcements are arriving in the battle against a deadly wildfire on the shores of Okanagan Lake in the southern B.C. Interior that has forced 20,000 people to evacuate.

Hugh Murdoch with the BC Wildfire Service has said 100 Mexican firefighters would arrive today to join the fight against the blaze that has claimed one life and caused destruction as it roared towards Summerland.

Murdoch says firefighters have faced a “monumental task” with the 156-square-kilometre fire, but that it’s being adequately staffed.

He says crews are in “a true fire fight,” citing the steep, hot conditions, while “spotting” that was triggering outbreaks beyond the fire perimeter is limiting opportunities for direct attack.

RCMP have meanwhile launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the fire that erupted Friday and caused the death of an 80-year-old woman in Meadow Valley, west of Summerland, as she tried to escape.

The fire has destroyed numerous homes on its way to Summerland, razing most of the tiny community of Faulder, although official damage assessments haven’t yet been done due to the dangerous conditions.

Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes told a briefing Monday that the community’s 12,000 residents won’t be going home any time soon, but they should prepare for what awaits them in the evacuation zone.

“We need to brace ourselves for what’s there or what’s not there. It’s gonna be hard. It’s gonna be really hard,” he told the briefing, his voice breaking.

“We all know people right now who have lost homes. We all have friends who have lost homes and those people need our help.”

The BC Wildfire Service said it was expecting “a high potential for lightning-caused wildfire starts” in the central Interior and the Okanagan.

About 100 fires are burning across B.C., with about half out of control.