Strong winds are expected to fan flames and change the direction of a 6,800-hectare wildfire that has already burned structures and forced thousands to flee in West Kelowna and Kelowna.
Wind gusts of upwards of 50 kilometres an hour have already been recorded in the area, the BC Wildfire Service said Friday. That wind is expected to veer northwest around midday, while wind from the north expected to come down on the Okanagan Lake this evening.
“Unfortunately, it’s going to make it worse through the night,” Matt MacDonald, lead fire weather forecaster, told Global News on Friday.
“The embers are being transported by the violent updrafts, they’re being drifted across the lake and the change in wind direction is really not good.”
What is now the side — or the flank — of the McDougall Creek fire is expected to become the head of the blaze. That means it is likely to burn an entirely new fuel mass.
“The lack of moisture is really what’s helping drive these fires,” said MacDonald. “We’re talking about extremely vigorous fire behaviour, what we call intensity Class 6, right at the top of the spectrum. We have continuous crowning, we have a candling of the entire trees.”
The strong winds are expected to impact other wildfires burning in B.C. as well, he added.
As of Friday morning, there were 380 wildfires burning across the province and 15 wildfires of note that are highly visibly or threatening human health and safety.
The bulk are concentrated in the Interior and Fraser Valley Regional District, where thousands have been put on evacuation order or alert in the past 24 hours.
Various orders to leave are in effect for the Casper Creek fire and Downtown Lake fire, the East Adams Lake fire, and Gatcho Lake fire, as well as the Gillanders Creek and Crater Cree fires, the Lytton Creek wildfire and the McDougall Creek fire.
The Ross Moore Lake, Stein Mountain and Upper Park Rill Creek wildfires have also prompted evacuation orders, as have several unnamed fires burning in Kelowna and West Kelowna as of Friday morning.
Environment Canada has issued special air quality statements for smoke in Prince George, the Fraser Canyon, 100 Mile, Boundary, Cariboo, East Kootenay, Elk Valley, the Fraser Valley, Kootenay Lake, Nicola, North Thompson, Similkameen, South Thompson and West Kootenay.
Gusty wind and thunderstorm statements have been issued for many of those areas as well.
Severe thunderstorm watches are in effect for Arrow Lakes — Slocan Lake, East Columbia, Kinbasket, North Columbia, the Okanagan Valley, Shuswap, West Columbia, and Yoho Park — Kootenay Park.