Advertisement

Keremeos Creek wildfire in South Okanagan sees little overnight growth

Aerial view of the Keremeos Creek wildfire taken July 29. BC Wildfire Service

A South Okanagan fire, burning southwest of Penticton observed little growth overnight and is holding its size at 437 hectares.

Early Sunday morning, BC Wildfire Service reported low visibility was presenting challenges for aerial support resources.

Overnight, 10 wildfire personnel remained on site tending to the blaze.

Click to play video: 'One structure lost in Keremeos Creek wildfire'
One structure lost in Keremeos Creek wildfire

In an update, BCWS says the wildfire is located in terrain that is inoperable for air tanker and heavy machinery support, at this time, though these resources remain available on standby as the incident evolves.

Story continues below advertisement

An Incident Management Team assumed management of the wildfire Sunday afternoon. They are being supported by structure protection personnel, 29 BCWS fire suppression personnel, eight helicopters, eight contract personnel, and several pieces of heavy equipment.

The fire was discovered Friday night, initially listed at 100 hectares, quickly growing to over 300 hectares over the weekend and the cause remains under investigation.

Located in rugged terrain, the fire is around 21 km southwest of Penticton or 11 km north of Olalla. It’s also around five km southeast of Apex Mountain Resort.

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen confirmed Saturday, that one building was lost, with an official describing it as a cabin or an older building.

As a result, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen issued an evacuation alert and an evacuation order Friday evening.

The evacuation order, issued at 9:30 p.m., Friday is for Green Mountain Road between Highway 3A to the south and Apex Mountain Road to the north, and in the general vicinity of Ford Lake.

Story continues below advertisement

Apex Mountain Resort is preparing to use its snow machines, as a way to protect the area in case the fire comes toward the mountain.

Apex Mountain Resort uses snow machines in case fire comes toward the mountain. Taya Fast

Sponsored content

AdChoices