Keremeos, B.C., area fires merge to create 10,000-hectare blaze

Two fires burning in the South Okanagan merged into one mega-blaze Tuesday night, casting a heavy cloud of smoke over the entire valley.

Located around 18 kilometres southwest of the Keremeos,  the Crater Creek and Gillanders Creek wildfires had been burning for the better part of a month and were mapped at slightly over 1,000 hectares until there was a change in weather.

BC Wildfire information officer Kyla Preto said Wednesday that increased wind led to “rapid and extreme growth” in the two fires. They are now burning as one and mapped at 10,000 hectares. It was a change that was noticeable to just about everyone in the valley who watched an unusually shaped cloud of smoke rise ominously into the sky.

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The fires will now only be referred to as the Crater Creek wildfire.

Preto said the fire is burning in steep and dangerous terrain, “challenging response efforts and posing a significant risk to responder safety on the ground.”

BC Wildfire posted a message Tuesday night saying that crews assigned to the fire are working only where it safe to do so.

Preto added that firefighting efforts will be focused on the northern flank of the blaze to block its path toward communities.

As the fire grew, an evacuation order was declared southwest of the Village of Keremeos due to the threat of two wildfires. The order covers 13 properties in Electoral Areas “B” and “G” along the Ashnola River and Ewart Creek Road, including Cathedral Provincial Park, Cathedral Lakes Lodge and the Snowy Protected Area.

An evacuation alert is also in effect for 74 properties in the area along the Similkameen River.

At 2 p.m. today, there will be a regional district update on the fire.