WATCH ABOVE: Several B.C. communities given couple of hours to evacuate as wildfires grow. Reid Fiest reports.
Two fires are raging near the picturesque tourist town of Oliver in the Okanagan Valley. Though residents affected by the 300-hectare Wilson Mountain fire were allowed home Saturday, about 100 homes near the 15-square kilometre Testalinden Creek fire remain under evacuation order.
The Wilson Mountain fire, which officials say has destroyed one structure, is burning one kilometre to the northwest of Oliver and is approximately 317 hectares in size.
While it began to the north of town, it winded its way along the hillside to the west throughout the night, and now threatens hundreds of homes because of winds that have periodically blown to the southeast.
An evacuation order is in place for 260 homes on the town’s edge, mostly north of Rockcliffe Road.
GALLERY: Photos of the Oliver fire (all pictures courtesy @br_webb/HomoCulture.ca)
The other fire is to the south of town around Testalinden Creek and the Golden Mile Bench wine area between Oliver and Osoyoos.
The Testalinden fire is 1,566 hectares in size, and 100 homes between Road 16 and Deadman Lake have been evacuated. On Saturday, officials confirmed the wildfire destroyed two structures.
Many wineries are also in the area, and there are fears some may be badly damaged due to fires.
Both fires are zero per cent contained, and were burning at Rank 5 – the second highest measurement available – for much of the evening.
Helicopters dumped water on the fires much of Saturday while aircraft dropped fire retardant.
Highway 3 reopened Saturday night.
Both fires continue to smoulder Saturday with small pockets of flames visible at times on the hillsides. The B.C Wildfire Service has three helicopters and 60 crew members on the scene, and is still being assisted by local crews.
“Both the Wilson Mountain Fire, north of Oliver, and the Testalinden Creek Fire, south of Oliver, pose imminent threat to homes,” said the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen in a statement.
Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes said approximately 300 people registered Friday night at an emergency reception centre in town. Upwards of 40 evacuees slept there, while others spent the night in their vehicles or bunked with friends and family.
“There has been no certainty as to when they can get back in their home and that’s probably causing the biggest concern at the moment,” said Hovanes. “People would really like to get into their homes.”
Some people have gone back to their homes even though the evacuation order has not been lifted.
“They’re doing that at their own risk and their own peril,” said Hovanes.
Residents in Oliver have told Global News they believe the fires were started by lightning, and high winds are contributing to their rapid spread.
“When these started, there were really busy. Crazy winds. We had some trees uprooted on our properties, some posts pushed to the ground. Our trampoline ended up in the gully,” said Sandra Oldfield, who lives near the southern fire.
Her home is just north of the Golden Mile Bench area, where there are several wineries. But she says thus far, the winds haven’t pushed the fire from the hillside into the surrounding agricultural lands.
“It looks like a glowing city now. Right now it’s just pockets and pockets of fire.”
Crews with the Oliver Fire Department and the BC Wildfire Centre worked overnight to contain the fire and protect structures in the area.
The blazes add to a worsening wildfire situation in B.C. Oliver is about 40 kilometres northwest of Rock Creek, where hundreds of homes were evacuated Thursday.
That fire has destroyed at least one home and was estimated to be 25 square kilometres on Saturday.
The Regional District Emergency Operations Centre can be contacted at 250-492-0237 or toll free 1-877-610-3737.
Residents are advised to check the RDOS website for updates.
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– With files from The Canadian Press
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