The Bald Range wildfire near Summerland, B.C., is more than 19,800 hectares in size and hundreds of firefighters continue to battle the flames and protect homes and infrastructure.
The fire has forced two new orders on Friday morning: one evacuation alert and some residents are being allowed home as an evacuation order was partially downgraded.
An evacuation order is now in effect for:
- Princeton-Summerland Road, West to Electoral Area “H” Boundary.
- Properties bordering the East Area H Boundary, including 5723 Princeton-Summerland Road
An evacuation alert is now in effect for:
Meanwhile, the evacuation order for the entire District of Summerland is being partially rescinded and the following region is now under an evacuation alert:
Residents of Peachland and Electoral Area West will also be allowed home as of 6 p.m. on Friday.
A boil water advisory remains in effect for the region.
Get daily National news
Residents on evacuation alert must be ready to leave their homes at a moment’s notice.
“Yesterday, we did see increased fire activity, rank three to four, which includes sort of moderately vigorous surface fire, torching, and some passive crown fire,” Erin Catherall, fire information officer for the Bald Range wildfire, told Global News.
“In terms of activity on the fire, on the northern flank, which is the Peachland Region, firefighters are continuing to conduct planned ignitions to secure control lines and they are making good progress.”
Catherall said structural protection and firefighters continue to work on the southern flank, which is the area around Mt. Conkle, with Penticton to the south.
“The fire still remains on the western side of Mt. Conkel and west of the ecological reserve,” she added.
“The eastern flank, which is along Highway 97, sort of the Okanagan Lake side, conditions continue to look favourable with suppression efforts progressing well. Aerial scans are happening in that area to identify any hotspots, which crews are actioning and continuing to conduct mop-up operations.”
Highway 97 is now open for through traffic from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but could close again if conditions worsen.
“The area of the fire that we did see the most activity yesterday was the western flank in the Princeton-Summerland Road corridor,” Catherall said.
- All evacuation orders downgraded for Quilpituk Creek wildfire, residents return home
- Peachland residents to return home Friday, 1 week after Bald Range fire started
- Saskatoon students will return to class on time despite high school blaze, board
- Meadow Valley resident stayed to save his home from wildfire: ‘This is my life’
“And we have firefighters and heavy equipment continuing to work in the area to establish and reinforce control lines and conduct operations in that area.”
Catherall said the concern continues to be the dryness in the area.
She said that in June the region received 12 mm of rain, two mm fell in July and there has been no rain in August.
“So conditions right now are exceptionally dry,” she added.
“The drought moisture code, which is an indicator of moisture levels in the deep organic layers of larger fuels, is currently above 1,000. This is exceptionally high for this time of year, as the typical drought code would be around 800.”
Catherall said that smoke in the region helps the firefight, but as soon as the smoke clears and blue skies appear, that is when there is often an increase in fire activity as the sun warms the forest floor.
She said there could also be some wind on Friday, which could fuel the flames further.
Hi, I’ve been following your coverage of this fire. Thanks for the frequent updates. Question: why would you use a photo from Monday in a Friday article? The fire has changed significantly since then.
Thanks,
Rafal