Crews have gained the upper hand on a wildfire burning just north of Peachland in B.C.’s Okanagan region.
As of Friday morning, the Drought Hill fire was classified as “being held,” meaning it was not projected to grow beyond its current borders unless conditions change.
The fire, which is believed to have been sparked on Wednesday by a vehicle towing a trailer, remains mapped at 57 hecatres in size.
As crews make progress fighting an out-of-control wildfire north of Peachland, many residents who were forced to flee are returning home.
As of Friday, the evacuation order covering 400 properties had been fully rescinded.
However, more than 500 properties remained under an evacuation alert, with residents told to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Some of those whose homes were placed under the evacuation order were away at the time, leaving them unable to retrieve their dogs.
Fortunately, emergency crews were able to help reunite them.
“We’re so happy and we have Leo…. It was the alert people who came in and got him. They’re volunteers; they went in with our door code and got him out. Put him in a truck and brought him to the rescue centre, met us there,” Peachland resident Cathy Betz told Global News.
“I’ve heard stories from other people in the hotel that were in the hotel and that had to get reunited with their dogs and other ladies on the street with the same problem,” Peachland resident Mark Smitton added.
“Some people are working; we just happened to be not home.”
As of Friday, 35 BC Wildfire Service personnel were working the fire, along with municipal fire departments, backed by a large contingent of aircraft.