Central Okanagan has seen startling growth over the past few decades with no slowdown in sight - today, its population is about 160,000 with a projected population of 225,000 by 2025, according to the Regional District of Central Okanagan.
But as the area continues to grow, Central Okanagan, which contains West Kelowna, the district currently plagued by wildfire, has been creeping further out into rural areas, making homes far more vulnerable when forest fires break out.
"Certainly, as we moved into hillsides and beautiful lake views, people are now moving into wildfire interface," says Ron Mattiussi, city manager for the City of Kelowna. "Suburbs are sitting kind of in the middle of pine forest. ... There are inherent risks."
Mr. Mattiussi says growth in the region began taking off in the '50s and '60s with the construction of the Okanagan Lake Bridge in 1958.
More residents poured into the area in 1986, thanks to the construction of the Coquihalla Highway connecting Hope and Kamloops.
Then in the early 2000s, the area experienced yet another spike in growth as the first of the baby boomers began retiring, Mr. Matiussi says.
"Really, now, the demographic is those freedom fifty-fivers," he says. "Wine, mid-sized cities [and]Starbucks ... it really appealed to that 55-year-old crowd."
And of course, people have always gravitated toward the region for its climate: mild Canadian winters and hot, dry summers.
It's the latter that makes the region a perfect breeding ground for wildfires, such as the one burning through West Kelowna, or the 2003 fire that was on the other side of Okanagan Lake.
"Post-fire in 2003, that was a major topic of discussion here," says Robert Fine, manager of economic development for Central Okanagan. "There's certainly been both focus and regulation around where we're building and how we're building."