More Containment On Philpott Road Fire

Update 1 pm

Crews are gaining more control over the week old wildfire burning east of Kelowna.

The Philpott Road blaze is now said to be 30 per cent contained.

Information officer Noelle Kekula says it hasn’t been growing much the last few days.

“It’s an estimated size of 465 hectares, so we we haven’t seen a lot of growth on any of the flanks.”

The extra containment has allowed officials to lift the evacuation alert hundreds of residents have been under.

“That just shows we are slowly making some gains, with not as much wind and just getting the water on the perimeters of the fire,” says Kekula.

Thirty-five properties remain on evacuation order.

A detailed map showing the affected properties is available at http://www.cordemergency.ca/map.

Update: 12:15 pm Aug 30:

More evacuees have been allowed to return home due to reduced activity overnight on the Philpott Road Fire east of Kelowna.

About 125 residents from 53 properties in the Joe Rich area have been taken off evacuation order and put on alert.

It leaves about 77 residents from 35 properties on Philpott Road still evacuated.

Highway 33 is open with reduced speed in the fire zone between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road.

The following properties are removed from the Evacuation Order and are now on Evacuation Alert:

11700 Greystokes Rd
11800 Greystokes Rd
11900 Greystokes Rd
8660 – 11600 Highway 33 E
11251 – 11401 Thelwell Rd
11150 – 11493 Three Forks Rd

Approximately 35 properties, affecting 77 residents, remain on Evacuation Order at the following properties: 310 – 1495 Philpott Rd

Update: 3 pm Aug 29

Highway 33 is now open to two-lane traffic through the Philpott Road Fire zone.

The road had been closed temporarily between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road to ensure the safe movement of emergency personnel and equipment.

Reduced speed limits and flagging personnel have now been situated at key locations to accommodate emergency activities.

About 88 properties, impacting 202 residents, remain on Evacuation Order and a further 898 residents from 386 properties are on Evacuation Alert.

To view a detailed map showing properties that are on Order and Alert, please visit www.cordemergency.ca/map.

Overnight, BC Wildfire Service will position 15 firefighters and a further eight firefighters from neighbouring jurisdictions with four fire trucks will monitor the Philpott Road Fire.

The next scheduled update from the Emergency Operation Centre is expected after 10 am Wednesday.

Update: 1:30 pm

More residents forced to flee their homes by the Philpott Road fire east of Kelowna are being allowed to go home.

The evacuation order for 186 residents from 81 properties has been rescinded, and the residents will be on evacuation alert.

It leaves 88 properties, or just over 200 residents, on evacuation order.

The fire — which started last Thursday at the side of Highway 33 — remains at 465 hectares and 20 percent contained.

Highway 33 is now closed in both directions between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road to ensure the safe movement of emergency personnel and equipment, and will reopen when it is safe to do so.

The BC Wildfire Service has 95 personnel working on the fire with 15 pieces of heavy equipment, and four helicopters.

Also working on the fire are 49 structural firefighters, employing 16 pieces of equipment, from Big White, Ellison, Joe Rich, Kelowna, Lumby, Naramata, North Westside, West Kelowna and Wilson’s Landing Fire Departments.

The weather forecast for today calls for increasing wind activity, possibly gusting to 40 km/hr this afternoon which may make fire suppression challenging.

The following properties are removed from the Evacuation Order and are now on Evacuation Alert:

8520 – 8600 Highway 33 E

11575 – 11583 Highway 33 E

11601 – 12369 Highway 33 E

1809 – 1898 Cardinal Creek Road

2160 – 2270 Dion Road

11607 – 11623 Greystokes Road

11731 – 11749 Greystokes Road

11863 – 11875 Greystokes Road

11979 – 11989 Greystokes Road

8130 – 8514 Sun Valley Road

11505 – 12751 Three Forks Road

9 am Aug 29:

The Philpott Road fire on Kelowna’s eastern fringe remains at 465 hectares.

Noelle Kekula with the BC Wildfire Service while the fire is still just 20 per cent contained, firefighters are making progress.

“They’re still working on getting that, burn the un-burnt fuel between the perimeter and the control line to try to increase that containment percentage.”

Kekula says that’s going to be the main task over the next 24 hours because it’s critical to be able to get control of the fire.

“You want to get rid of any un-burnt fuel so that if the wind does pick up it doesn’t have anything to reignite right, so that’s our objective.”

It may be hot and dry but the lack of wind is helping to keep the fire from spreading.

Kekula says it’s looking good.

“Everything is looking like we’re getting almost the control line around the entire fire. We’re doing burning, we’re doing mop up in other sections of the fire.”

A combination of 95 Wildfire Service and contract firefighters are working in the fire zone with 15 pieces of heavy equipment and are backed by four helicopters.

Local Okanagan firefighters are working protection of structures.