Arm was burnt to the extent of deforestation by a wildfire started by lightning. The fire came down from the Fly Hills in the west and embers carried by the wind jumped the valley and ignited Mount Ida. Flames raced down both sides of the valley, threatening many homes. An emergency evacuation was executed as the fire hotfooted it closer. Remarkably, just as the fire reached the valley floor, a sudden change of wind direction forced the fire back on itself, extinguishing it. The fire came so close that trees in many backyards were singed and barn paint was peeled. The media reported "20 homes and 15 barns" were destroyed during the firestorm in the Silver Creek area to the south of Salmon Arm, which also produced Canada's largest civil evacuation up to that date when the "5,000-hectare forest fire that forced the removal of 7,000 residents of Salmon Arm was being blown toward the town." Sister city Salmon Arm's sister city is Inashiki, Ibaraki, Japan (Formerly Azuma, Ibaraki, Japan, until its recent amalgamation into Inashiki). There is a pavilion near McGuire Lake in honour of the friendship between Japan and Salmon Arm. Notable people Gail Anderson-Dargatz – author Calvin Ayre – entrepreneur Dan Bremnes – Christian musician, resident of Salmon Arm Brian Drummond, voice actor Cody Franson – NHL player, defenceman for the Nashville Predators E.V. Gordon – a well-known medieval philologist and colleague of J.R.R. Tolkien, was born in Salmon Arm in 1896 Curtis Lazar – NHL player, captain of Team Canada at the World Junior 2015 Justin Maas - Visual Artist & Author Jesse Mast – country music singer-songwriter Rick Say – a 3-time Olympic and national record holding swimmer Dave Scatchard – a former NHL player Greg Sczebel – a two-time Juno Award-winning independent singer/songwriter Bev Smith – renowned basketball player and coach Richard Underhill – jazz saxophonist and 2003 Juno Award winner Natalie Wilkie – Paralympic Champion, cross-country skiing Michael Worobey - evolutionary biologist and professor at the University of Arizona In popular culture The Punch-Out!! character Bear Hugger resides in Salmon Arm. Additionally, he even has an attack of the same name. References External links Cities in British Columbia Populated places established in 1905 1905 establishments in Canada