‘Minimal’ activity expected Sunday at Skaha Creek and Hedges Butte wildfires

BC Wildfire Service said it expects minimal fire activity on Sunday on two blazes burning southwest of Penticton.

Joe Lax, who is in charge of firefighting operations on the Okanagan Complex of fires, was optimistic about conditions on the Hedges Butte and Skaha Creek wildfires Sunday morning.

“It’s looking like it will be a good day out there, we are happy with the progress so far,” Lax said.

After fully containing the Skaha Creek fire with guards and roads, officials upgraded its status from “out-of-control” to “being held” on Sunday.

That means the blaze is not expected to grow outside existing guards.

Lax said there was not much open flame and minimal smoke on the 236-hectare blaze Sunday morning and those conditions were expected to help firefighters make further progress on the blaze.

The fire, which sparked more than a week ago six kilometers southwest of Penticton, triggered the Penticton Indian Band to issue evacuation alerts.

Those alerts were rescinded on Sunday afternoon.

1:59 Skaha Creek wildfire: Penticton Indian Band issues evacuation alert

While progress has also been made on the Hedges Butte fire, which is 12 km southwest of Penticton, that blaze continues to burn out of control.

The Hedges Butte fire sparked Friday near Green Mountain Rd. and quickly grow to 236 hectares burning uphill a few hundred meters away from structures below the road.

However, its growth has since stalled. Lax said fire growth was minimal on Saturday and the blaze did not grow overnight.

Lax said there was minimal open flame Sunday morning and the visible smoke was “mostly internal within containment lines.”

He was not expecting growth of the fire on Sunday or any substantial increase in fire behaviour throughout the day.

Lax said the fire was “well secured” on the south flank where it initially started and where it is within a few hundred meters of structures.

However, crews are still working on containment lines on the blaze, with crews putting in a handguard on the steeper east flank.

Both the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen and the Penticton Indian Band had evacuation alerts in place, but those were recinded Sunday afternoon.

Lax said neither the Hedges Butte or Skaha Creek wildfires have impacted structures.

2:23 Hedges Butte out-of-control wildfire at 230 hectares