Firefighters continue to focus their structural protection efforts on the Shrike Hill subdivision as the Nk’Mip Creek wildfire threatens the remote community southeast of Oliver, B.C.
Fire information officer Dani McIntosh said Monday the out-of-control fire, discovered on July 19, continues to grow towards the northeast.
“Overnight, there was a lot of activity on the fire. It did push into the northeast side towards the Shrike Hill community,” she said.
“We are seeing the same trends over the next few days. It is hot, sunny and dry.”
She said crews haven’t been able to properly measure the fire in the last couple of days.
“So the last accurate measurement we have is at 6,800 hectares, although we know that there has been significant growth.”
At least one home has been destroyed in the Shrike Hill area, officials confirmed on Friday.
The Oliver Fire Department took to social media to thank the community for its support as local firefighters work to save homes.
“This has been an incredibly aggressive and unpredictable fire,” the fire department wrote on Monday.
“Our crews have been going hard since the start and their hard work has paid off with the number of structures they have saved.”
Another structural protection team is focused on the south end of the fire, protecting homes in the Anarchist Mountain community.
Crews will also mop up and patrol around the Spirit Ridge Resort on the blaze’s southern perimeter.
Heavy winds, persistent low relative humidity and high temperatures have led to increased fire activity late into the evenings, the fire service said.
Exhausted crews are getting some relief thanks to enforcements being called in from other countries.
“Last night, 101 fire personnel from Mexico arrived here in Osoyoos,” McIntosh said.
“They will be spending today getting familiarized with the operation and the landscape. It is a challenging landscape to work in, with a number of hazards.”
On Saturday, the Mount Baldy resort community was evacuated, as the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary expanded an evacuation order.
A total of 248 properties were under evacuation order within the Kootenay Boundary area as of Monday, extending east to include the west side of Fish Lake West Road, Belchrome Forest Service Road and Conkle Lake Provincial Park.
An additional 568 properties were under evacuation order within the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, including much of Anarchist Mountain.
Evacuation alerts remained in place in the Town of Osoyoos and the Town of Oliver.