Containing the McDougall Creek wildfire could still take weeks: BC Wildfire Service

As the Okanagan Valley continues to experience a drought, officials working on the McDougall Creek wildfire say they are gearing up for a long haul, as it may still take weeks to contain the blaze.

In a video posted by BC Wildfire Service on Sunday, incident commander Scott Rennick said fire crews have made big strides over the last several weeks, as the fire has now changed from burning in the urban interface areas of West Kelowna to a wildland fire that now burns away from the community.

“The challenging aspect that we’re having with this fire now is the southwest corner on the west side of it which is above the Powers Creek drainage,” Rennick said.

“We have the combination of extreme slopes, cliff edge, very challenging areas to work for crews but also very limited for heavy equipment operations.”

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Rennick said he and his crew are keeping a close eye on heavy wind gusts in the late afternoon or early evening in the Powers Creek drainage area. Winds can then channel down the drainage towards neighbourhoods like Glenrosa.

“What we’re really trying to avoid is getting fire into that area, because if we have a combination of a cold front or a wind event that would come from the west or northwest, with that lake effect it would not put us in a good position,” Rennick said.

“We’re not there yet. We’re still holding it on the ridge and in the areas. We’re not at the point where it’s in the Powers Creek drainage fully.”

Rennick said wildfire fighters are in this for the long haul, as the upcoming forecast will still bring temperatures in the mid-20s, with little rain expected.

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“Looking at the extended forecast, for some time we’re going to have dry, later-summer conditions into September,” Rennick said.

“Mid 20s, high 20s  potentially — that could change. Hopefully it will, but we’re already in a situation where there’s a drought. It’s going to be a matter of weeks not days now in order to get this fire under some state of containment.”

A combination of direct suppression, as well as direct and indirect attacks, will continue over the coming days, to create a fire line which would help stop the fire from growing.

The wildfire is estimated at 13,712.3 hectares in size, and is still classified as out of control. There are 405 properties still under an evacuation order as a result of the fire, with an additional 20,111 on evacuation alert.