That was one of the many comments Global News received on Tuesday evening when two wildfires merged near Keremeos, creating a massive smoke cloud that was visible 100 kilometres away in Kelowna.
The Crater Creek fire is located around 18 km southwest of Keremeos and has been burning since July 22. It’s currently estimated at 10,000 hectares.
However, to underscore just how quickly this fire grew, on Tuesday morning, it was sized at 697 hectares, while the nearby Gillanders Creek fire was at 480 hectares.
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The fire is burning in steep terrain, and evacuation alerts and orders were issued by the regional district on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.