Fire crews have gained the upper hand on the Bear Creek fire burning near West Kelowna.
An evacuation order was initially put in place for 156 properties. That order has now been downgraded to an alert for 51 of those homes; 105 remain under the evacuation order.
Campers evacuated from the Bear Creek Campground are being allowed back in to retrieve their belongings until 8 p.m. Monday night. Campers will also be given limited access to the area again on Tuesday morning.
Dozens of BC Wildfire Service personnel and crews from five different local fire departments continue to battle the wildfire, which sparked Sunday night.
It is now estimated to be 52 hectares and 60 per cent contained. Favourable weather conditions, including some showers, cloud cover and cooler temperatures, have helped crews in this fire fight.
While the fire isn’t fully contained, fire crews say barring a few flare-ups, the fire is ‘almost out.’
The flames came right to the edge of a residence in Traders Cove, but crews were able to stop the fire before it reached the home. No homes have been damaged by the fire, however a truck was destroyed and potentially some outbuildings (sheds) may have been damaged.
Fire crews are ‘amazed no one was injured’ during the evacuation, especially as campers were forced to flee the Bear Creek Campground.
Now, 65 properties are on Evacuation Alert. That means they should prepare to leave their properties quickly if needed.
The blaze is being described as a ground fire with some candling in the trees.
Crews on the ground are getting support from five aircraft as they try to dose the flames. Officials are asking boaters to stay out of the way of aircraft fighting the fire and not use that area of Okanagan Lake.
Westside Road remains closed in both directions as crews fight the flames.
You can watch a live-stream of the affected area here.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The blaze and power-outages in the Westside Road area have also prompted the regional district to put a water quality advisory in place for Killiney Beach and Westshore.
Over 1,650 BC Hydro customers have been without power since Sunday night.