North Okanagan residents are being given the heads up about a major, 3,000-hectare planned ignition at the White Rock Lake wildfire, which is expected to be highly visible from area communities.
The BC Wildfire Service said the large-scale planned ignition will be conducted on the northeast flank of the wildfire and could occur as early as Wednesday, weather permitting.
Heavy plumes of smoke will be visible from Vernon, Armstrong, Spallumcheen, Glennema, and Falkland.
“Due to steep and inaccessible terrain in this area of the fire, BC Wildfire Service personnel have determined that a planned ignition is the most favourable tactic to gain control while also maintaining an appropriate safety margin for firefighters,” the fire service said in a Monday update.
“The ignition operation will be completed using a combination of hand and aerial ignitions to remove fuels that currently lie between the control line and the advancing fire,” officials said.
“Ground crews and hose lay will be ready to patrol and monitor for any spotting across the constructed machine guard between Westside Road and Irish Creek.”
Favourable weather conditions are assisting in fire suppression efforts with clouds, isolated showers and unseasonably cool temperatures in the forecast.
Near the southeast flank of the fire on Okanagan Lake, dozens of property owners participated in a tour of their damaged homes on Monday.
On Tuesday, members of the media are invited for a tour of the fire damage in the North Westside area, to help keep the public informed.
The wildfire remains at 80,745 hectares, and is the largest wildfire burning in B.C., prompting numerous evacuation orders and alerts spanning eight local jurisdictions.