Evacuation alert still in effect for wildfire near Spallumcheen in North Okanagan

A wildfire sparked by lightning on Friday afternoon in the North Okanagan, southwest of Armstrong, is currently listed at 3.2 hectares in size.

The blaze on Grandview Mountain, initially sized at 0.8 of a hectare, spawned an evacuation order shortly after it was discovered.

That order, issued by the Township of Spallumcheen, was downgraded to an alert in the evening.

The alert is for properties along Round Lake Road, Grandview Flats Road and Highway 97A. Click here for a list of the affected addresses.

0:36 Wildfire in North Okanagan sparked by lightning

BC Wildfire Service crews, including air support, were dispatched to the location of the fire, and the township’s fire department provided assistance. Crews stayed on scene until 9 p.m.

“Crews continue to work the fire area aggressively and deal with hot spots as they occur,” said the township.

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The township also closed the entrance trails to Mount Rose Swanson and is asking the public to avoid that backcountry area.

BC Wildfire said that there were 623 lightning strikes in the Kamloops Fire Centre during the past 24 hours, with 11 starting fires.

Five other wildfires are burning in the region.

The largest is the Star Creek fire. It’s also in the North Okanagan, around 28 kilometres north of Cherryville, and is estimated to be 10 hectares in size.

Discovered on Thursday afternoon, it is deemed to be out of control and is thought to have been started by people.

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Another fire is burning at Weyman Creek, about 50 kilometres west of Vernon. It was discovered on Friday afternoon and is listed as a spot fire. The cause is under investigation.

In the Similkameen Valley, two small fires are burning about 12 km northeast of Tulameen.

Both are thought to be lightning-caused and were discovered on Friday; one in the afternoon, the other in the evening.

The Dry Lake fire, the furthest of the two from Tulameen, was listed as out of control on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, the Peatbog Road fire is said to be held.

Lastly, in the Shuswap Highlands, the Vegetation Creek fire was also listed as spot-sized on Saturday morning.

It was discovered on Friday afternoon and is thought to be lightning-caused. It is about 17 kilometres north of Anglemont.

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