Category Archives: Forest Fires

Emergency officials have ordered all residents to evacuate from the B.C. community of Olalla, about 40 kilometres southwest of Penticton, due to the Keremeos Creek wildfire. The unincorporated town, with a population of more than 400, was put under full evacuation orders Thursday afternoon, affecting roughly 200 properties, around 5 p.m. by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen. A half-hour later, residents from part of the village of Keremeos, B.C., representing nearly 220 properties, were placed on evacuation alert by municipal and regional authorities, “This afternoon, the approaching cold front brought much higher winds than we’ve been seeing over the last couple of days, which increased the fire behaviour,” said Mikhail Elsay, a fire information officer with B.C.’s wildfire service. “We felt like we needed to expand the evacuation orders just to protect the communities that are fairly close to the fire.”

The Connell Ridge wildfire roughly 15 kilometres south of Cranbrook has blown up to an estimated 500 hectares, as firefighters, helicopters and ground equipment work to establish control lines. The fire was designated as a Wildfire of Note by the BC Wildfire Service on Wednesday, and an incident management team will be taking over as early as Thursday, Aug. 4. It is now the sixth Wildfire of Note in the province, as increased lightning activity sparked a number of fire starts over the last week.

CRANBROOK — A water-bomber aircraft involved in firefighting efforts in British Columbia made a forced landing Tuesday. B.C. Wildfire Service executive director Ian Meier issued a statement late Tuesday regarding the landing in the Southeast Fire Centre. Meier said the contracted Conair 802 Air Tractor Fireboss Skimmer aircraft experienced an engine failure during operations on the Connell Ridge wildfire, near Cranbrook. He said the forced landing was successful, and the pilot was taken to hospital for medical assessment.

Dozens more homes are now on evacuation alert as an out-of-control wildfire continues to burn in B.C.’s Interior. The Keremeos Creek wildfire has grown to an estimated 4,250 hectares since it was discovered roughly 21 kilometres southwest of Penticton on Friday. The cause remains unknown. The increase in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service, is “due to both natural fire and planned ignitions.” “Planned ignitions are conducted to bring the fire down to control lines so firefighters can action the fire,” the service said in an update posted online Wednesday. “We expect more growth as this fire burns into more inaccessible areas.” …The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen confirmed 479 properties, including the Apex Resort village west of Keremeos, remained evacuated, while residents of another 324 properties in the area were on evacuation alert. Though officials say the blaze is stable, it is slowly creeping closer to people’s properties – and not everyone has heeded the order to leave.

Crews were literally fighting fire with fire in the southern Okanagan as the BC Wildfire Service takes advantage of cooler weather to try to contain a blaze that has forced hundreds from their homes. Fire information officer Marg Drysdale told a news conference Wednesday that crews were conducting controlled burns on the southeastern flank of the nearly 28-square-kilometre wildfire burning southwest of Penticton. An aerial ignition was planned for the region as crews burned off trees and bush not far from Highway 3A, which was closed briefly on Tuesday as flames moved closer. …Days of searing heat and low humidity helped fuel the wildfire after it was sparked July 29, but Drysdale said winds Wednesday were “not much of a factor” and “pretty flat,” while the heat was “a couple of degrees cooler,” at higher elevations.

Operators of a B.C. mountain resort say snow-making machines are being used to defend the village against a growing wildfire.  The Keremeos Creek wildfire, burning more than 2,700 hectares in an area southwest of Penticton, is threatening structures at Apex Mountain Resort. The entire resort village was placed under evacuation order Monday.   …Over the weekend, the resort began using the equipment it had on hand to spray water on buildings and infrastructure to prevent them from catching on fire.  “We’ve put up a line of defence with our snow-making machines,” Shalman said. “We’re one of the few resorts that has snow-making from the top of the mountain to the bottom.”  Shalman explained the machines are essentially “big fan guns blowing water” into the air.

Hundreds of properties in the South Okanagan have been evacuated, and many more have been told to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, because of the Keremeos Creek wildfire near Penticton. The aggressive fire has grown to 2,790 hectares since it was first spotted a few days ago. More than 300 properties in the Apex Mountain Resort are are under an evacuation order, while another 400 are on alert. “All of Apex Mountain resort is under an evacuation order and everyone has left the premise — it’s only essential people that are there working,” James Shalman, general manager of Apex Mountain Resort, told CityNews Tuesday morning. …The fire has been erratic, aggressive, and tough to fight. The BC Wildfire Service has described it as “vigorous but not organized.” It’s burning about 20 kilometres southwest of Penticton near Apex Mountain Resort. Flames and smoke could be seen on one of the resort’s webcams.

The BC Wildfire Service says a fire burning about 21 kilometres southwest of Penticton saw minimal growth overnight, but low visibility is making it difficult to fight the flames from the air.  The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen issued an evacuation order on Saturday for communities in the vicinity of the Keremeos Creek wildfire, which was discovered Friday and was earlier described by the Wildfire Service as displaying “aggressive” and “erratic” behaviour.  The order covers Green Mountain Road between Highway 3A to the south and Apex Mountain Road to the north, as well as the general vicinity of Ford Lake and the north end of Sheep Creek Road.  The Wildfire Service says in an online update Sunday that the fire covers an area of more than four square kilometres, and that personnel conducted patrols and structural protection where necessary throughout the night.

Wildfire season appears to have begun in earnest, with BC Wildfire Service crews deployed to multiple new fires in several parts of the province. Crews were called mid-day to a new fire burning just 7.5 kilometres west of Kamloops on Monday. The Polygon Pond fire was measured at 4.57 hectares in size, and is giving off smoke highly visible from Highway 1, Highway 5 and surrounding areas. …Crews were also called to a pair of remote fires in the Coastal Fire Centre. The lightning-caused Southgate River fire, near the northeastern tip of Bute Inlet in the Sunshine Coast Zone was 208 hectares in size as of Monday afternoon. …In the Kootenays, crews were called to the Briggs Creek fire, about 11.5 kilometres west of Kaslo. The fire had grown to 386 hectares in size by Monday evening, and was “highly vigorous,” the wildfire service said.

Sustained high temperatures throughout British Columbia this week are increasing the potential for wildfires. Residents, travellers and campers should be prepared for wildfire and heat, to have an emergency plan and to stay informed as conditions change. The BC Wildfire Service is closely monitoring these changing conditions and making necessary preparations with strategic aviation and crew placements. Of note is the potential for widespread lightning when the current weather pattern changes. Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Category 2 and Category 3 open fires are prohibited throughout British Columbia. Campfires are currently permitted within the BC Wildfire Service’s jurisdiction. Escaped campfires can lead to human-caused wildfires, but that does not mean a campfire can’t be enjoyed safely. Patrols will be in place on Crown land.

A suspected human-caused wildfire west of Lake Cowichan that was first reported Tuesday evening is now considered under control, the B.C. Wildfire Service says. The fire near Gordon River, called the Gordon Main fire, started at the site of an old logging camp and involved broom and brush. …While the cause has not been determined, the fire is believed to be human-caused. After a cool June, 38 fires are burning in the Coastal Fire Centre zone, which includes all of Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast, down significantly from the 145 fires burning at this time last year. The 10-year average is 93. Fourteen new fires have been reported since July 21. The Gordon Main fire is the only wildfire reported on Vancouver Island.

The Mount Hawthorne wildfire, that sparked Tuesday evening, has grown to 1.20 hectares. BC Wildfire alongside local fire departments remain on scene, however, air support has been grounded for the night.  A wildfire sparked on the west side of Okanagan Falls, Tuesday evening.  The blaze started about 5 p.m. after white smoke was seen at the top of Mount Hawthorne.  The BC Wildfire Service said it is fighting the Mount Hawthorne blaze alongside the Kaleden Fire Department.  The fire is estimated to be 0.5 hectares in size and is not threatening homes or impacting highways. There are six firefighters, one officer, two helicopters and air tankers responding.  Air tankers can be seen attacking the fire that appears to be on the top of the mountain.

A wildfire near Nordegg in the western Alberta foothills is now classified as “being held” by the province. The RWF-038 wildfire, located about 19 kilometres west of Nordegg, was first detected Tuesday, July 19, and fire officials said it initially responded well to firefighting efforts. A wildfire is considered “being held” when the blaze is not expected to continue to grow given current weather conditions and resources, according to the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard. “Thanks to the hard work of firefighters and support staff, that fire was given a status of ‘being held.’ …The province said that evacuation orders and alerts issued by Clearwater County also remain in place. …Fairweather said firefighters from British Columbia and Quebec have arrived in Alberta to help battle the blazes. …The approximately 70 firefighters from Quebec will be fighting two wildfires in the Lac La Biche area. There are about 90 firefighters from B.C. helping out.

A large wildfire burning near Lytton, B.C., is smaller than was previously believed, but still remains a threat amid a new heat wave. The BC Wildfire Service says new mapping has found the Nohomin Creek fire, burning about 1.7 kilometres northwest of Lytton, is just under 2,200 hectares in size. The fire, which remains classified as ‘out of control,’ had previously been estimated as more than 2,223 hectares in size. “A warming and drying trend will continue to bring hot and dry conditions this week which could cause an increase in fire behavior,” the wildfire service said in a Monday morning update. Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for much of the province, including the Fraser Canyon area, due to a ridge of high pressure expected to stay in place for about a week.

The Southeast Fire Centre is now the most active in the province. Between Thursday and Saturday, more than 20 wildfires were sparked by a series of storms that blew through, bringing lightning and not much precipitation. “So far in the Southeast, we’ve had 23 new starts since Thursday evening,” said fire information officer Kim Wright. “The majority of these starts are mid- to higher-elevation initial attack targets. So they’re smaller fires at the moment.” The fire causing the most concern is east of Nelson, along the Kootenay River. …The fire danger rating in the Southeast Fire Centre is mostly moderate to high with a few pockets of extreme, but hot, dry weather is settling in.