On July 18, 2009, 3 wildfires broke out around the city of West Kelowna, British Columbia during extremely dry and windy conditions. Over 20,000 people were evacuated as a result of the fires. 9,877 hectares (24,410 acres) of forest was burned along with 4 buildings. All 3 fires were suspected as human caused but the exact ignition source is still unknown.