KELOWNA – It could be a warning sign of a long, fiery summer ahead in the Okanagan.
Parts of a Kelowna neighbourhood were put on evacuation alert Sunday night as a brush fire came dangerously close to becoming an interface fire.
The blaze broke out in Knox Mountain Park at about 8:00 p.m. and scorched an area about 300 metres by 100 metres.
The flames came to within about 250 metres of homes in the Magic Estates sub-division.
Residents in about 125 homes were warned to be ready to leave with a moment’s notice.
“We kind of put together important things, like laptops,” says homeowner Peter Arthur. “My wife and daughters went down the mountain to stay with her sister. I doused the roof just in case embers started flying. I have cedar shake roof.”
Fortunately, the wind died shortly after the fire started and crews were able to get the upper hand fairly quickly.
They were aided by the fire department’s newly deployed, four-wheel drive Gator vehicle.
“It’s a tough spot to access with any water and equipment. But this (the Gator) got five guys up here with 500 gallons of water, hand tools, pump and that made a huge difference, says KFD captain Dave Leimert.
Previous fuel mitigation work in the park also kept the flames mostly out of the tree tops which helped slow the fire’s advance.
The fire started next to one of the park’s many trails and is almost certainly human caused although it’s unknown if it was accidental or deliberate.
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