Okanagan Crush Pad is relieved to report that its team, vineyards, winery, and the majority of its farming infrastructure have come through the Bald Range wildfire in remarkably good condition.

The wildfire moved through the Faulder and Garnet Valley communities prompting the evacuation of Summerland on August 8. With the fire now moving away from the community, phased re-entry has begun in parts of town. Earlier access was granted to essential service workers, farmers, and commercial operations with processing at risk, allowing critical farming and production work to resume.

This limited access has allowed the Okanagan Crush Pad team to assess its Summerland properties, including Monro Vineyard, the Summerland Food Hub Vineyard, Switchback Vineyard, Haywire Winery and Garnet Valley Ranch.

The news from Monro, the Food Hub and Switchback vineyards is very positive: all three are in fine condition. Once power was restored, the team was able to reconnect remotely to irrigation systems and resume watering remotely.

At Haywire Winery, where Okanagan Crush Pad's winemaking and cellar operations are based, the winery and its contents are secure. The winemaking team has inspected the cellar and reports that the wines in tank are in excellent condition.

The cellar's construction proved particularly valuable during the five-day power outage. The building, together with the winery's extensive use of concrete tanks, helped maintain naturally cool and stable cellar temperatures throughout the outage.

Garnet Valley: a community coming together

While Okanagan Crush Pad has much to be grateful for, many of its neighbours in Garnet Valley and the surrounding area experienced substantial losses, including homes, horse stables, hay barns, greenhouses, and crops. 

Garnet Valley Ranch

Garnet Valley Ranch was directly in the path of the wildfire, which swept across the 320-acre property. While there are meaningful losses to absorb, the team's first assessment has provided many reasons for gratitude.

Thoughtful land management and fire mitigation strategies, including a large pond for helicopter water bucketing at the centre of the property, fire hydrants on the perimeter, an eight-acre wetland reserve, irrigated green spaces, clear areas around buildings and rooftop sprinkler systems, appear to have significantly limited the overall impact.

Most importantly, the actively farmed vineyard blocks remain intact, as does much of the property's essential farming infrastructure and equipment. Evidence of the fire can be seen in the vineyard, particularly in the dry grass between rows, but these areas are expected to recover quickly with irrigation or rainfall.

Worker accommodation was spared with only minor damage. The pumphouse and farm equipment—including tractors, mowers, and sprayers—are unharmed. The Outlook Visitor Centre and Shade Sail area were also untouched, while the event pavilion sustained partial damage.

The winery storage cellar and workshop survived remarkably well. Irrigated grass between these buildings and the property's original log house appears to have provided an important buffer from the fire.

The log house itself was lost, with only its chimney remaining. A storage area approximately 50 metres away, containing more than 140 picking bins and lids, as well as vineyard bird netting, was also lost.

Damage within the vineyard is concentrated primarily in fallow areas that had not been irrigated this season. Metal vineyard posts remain in these blocks, while some wooden end posts, fencing and plastic irrigation components will need to be replaced.

The team's immediate priority has been restoring water to the vineyard. Crews began irrigating lower areas of the ranch on August 14, and a large generator is being installed to restore irrigation to the remaining vineyard blocks while the property awaits the return of electrical service, which may take several weeks.

There is work ahead at Garnet Valley Ranch, but that work is already underway.

Source:  Town Hall Brands August 20, 2026 news release