UPDATE:
BC Wildfire Service says it has brought in additional resources to help action the Eagle Bluff wildfire burning four kilometres from Osoyoos, B.C.
“We have about 50 personnel on the fire today. There was 25 there this morning with another 27 en route this afternoon,” said BCWS fire information officer, Shaelee Stearns.
“They will be conducting some small-scale hand ignitions along the east flank to help tie into that guard that’s been established there.”
Crews are expected to be on scene for 24 hours both throughout the day and into the night, and aerial resources are also in the area being requested as needed.
“We have 11 pieces of heavy equipment, 50 people on it during the day with additional crews going on it tonight, and we have five helicopters responding as well.”
As far as the fire activity, BCWS says the blaze has lost some of its momentum.
“We’re seeing rank 2 fire behaviour, so definitely a decrease in the activity that we were seeing in the evening last night,” said Stearns.
“Rank 2 is that surface fire that were seeing with a slower rate of spread.”
The fire is estimated at 885 hectares on the Canadian side of the border. Meanwhile, south of the border, the fire is estimated at roughly 2,025 hectares. Crews continue to monitor the weather and the wind, after heavy winds are what helped fuel this wildfire over the border.
“Through the days, crews will monitor and take the weather readings, so they’ll take the wind readings, the relative humidity, and they’ll see that effect on fire behaviour,” said Stearns.
“Depending on the way that the wind is blowing, we are still focusing our resources on the eastern flank of the fire, so depending on the activity we see there, the resourcing might change if there’s need for more aerial support or if we see an increase in activity, crews will adjust accordingly as well.”
At this time, total number of properties under evacuation order still remains at 732 in Electoral Area “A” and “B,” and the Town of Osoyoos, while the total number of properties under an evacuation alert hasn’t changed either – with 2,094 in Electoral Areas “A”, “B” and “C” and the Town of Osoyoos.
The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen says the cooperation of the public during the evacuation orders is critical right now.
“It can put crews at risk, and if people choose to stay but want to leave for a dental appointment or to get some food or groceries, they won’t be able to return,” said RDOS communications supervisor, Erick Thompson.
“Cooperation is paramount in all of this.”
UPDATE:
In its latest update, BC Wildfire Service says the Eagle Bluff wildfire is listed as out of control and is estimated to have grown to 885 hectares on the Canadian side of the border.
In the U.S., the fire is estimated at roughly 2,025 hectares.
“Today, we’re seeing rank 2 fire behaviour, so more of just a slow-moving surface fire — we’re not seeing that increased activity that we did we see yesterday into the evening,” said BCWS fire information officer, Shaelee Stearns.
“We’re not seeing any new growth as of today on it.”
Fire crews are continuing to battle the out-of-control blaze with both heavy equipment and ground crews.
“We do have seven pieces of heavy equipment responding to it today, as well as 23 firefighters that will be actioning the fire as well, and there is structure protecting assigned to the incident, said Stearns.”
“Yesterday evening and into the night we had initial attack crews on the fire throughout the whole evening, and yesterday afternoon we did have aerial resources on it as well.”
Aerial resources are also being assigned to the fire to assist crews.
“There will be likely rotary wing helicopters but if there is needed request for the fix wings, so that’s our air tankers, that request will be put through, and action as needed throughout the day.”
The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre is expected to provide an update at 1 p.m.
UPDATE: The South Okanagan town of Osoyoos in B.C.’s Interior is now partially under an evacuation order.
At 10 p.m., the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen upgraded an evacuation alert it had issued just hours earlier after an American wildfire crossed into Canada.
The wildfire is called the Eagle Bluff Fire by American fire officials, but was called the Lone Pine Creek wildfire by B.C. officials.
However, late Saturday, BC Wildfire ditched the Lone Pine Creek name and went with the U.S. version.
BC Wildfire also upgraded the blaze to being a wildfire of note.
Regardless, the regional district’s evacuation order affects the western part of Osoyoos plus electoral areas A and B.
It covers the area north of the border to the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 3, plus west and north along Highway 3.
In all, more than 700 properties are affected by the order and alert.
More information is available on the RDOS website and on the Town of Osoyoos website.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Town of Osoyoos is under evacuation alert after an American wildfire crossed Canada’s border on Saturday.
The fire — called the Eagle Bluff Fire by Washington state fire officials and the Lone Pine Creek wildfire by B.C. officials — is located southwest of Oroville in the U.S., and was sized at 2,500 acres.
The Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources said the fire was burning north towards Canada, and that evacuation advisories were issued in Okanogan County.
Oroville is roughly six kilometres south of the border, while part of Osoyoos hugs the border.
In British Columbia, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen issued the alert at 7:30 p.m., stating Osoyoos plus electoral areas A and B were on alert.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the blaze is close to Osoyoos; around three kilometres from Osoyoos Lake, but less than two kilometres from some homes on the town’s western edge.
The Canadian size of the fire was estimated at 200 hectares at 9:40 p.m.
More than 700 properties in the South Okanagan are now on evacuation alert. Click here to view the properties under evacuation alert.
Smoke from the wildfire began drifting into the Central Okanagan shortly after 5 p.m.