White Rock Lake fire as of Friday evening as seen from Sparkling Hill, south of Vernon. (Photo courtesy of Akbal Mund/Facebook)

By Pete McIntyre

UPDATE Saturday

White Rock Lake Fire update: much needed rain

Aug 7, 2021 | 7:30 AM

Mother Nature is providing nervous Vernon and area residents with a bit of positive news early Saturday morning in the form of showers which have been off and on since about 5 a.m.

The impact of that on the massive White Rock Lake Fire is not yet known, but it can only be positive in some way.

However, that came after an incredibly tense last 24 hours which saw the fire roar closer and closer to the Westside Road area, west of Vernon.

We have not heard or seen any reports from the fire area as yet this morning, and local governments and the BC Wildfire Service have not issued any updates since several news releases Friday night.

Those were announcing evacuation alerts for almost the entire City of Vernon, along with all of Armstrong and Spallumcheen, parts of Coldstream and Regional District of North Okanagan Areas B and C, with evacuation orders for the Okanagan Indian Band IR#1 and 975 properties in the Westside Road area of the Central Okanagan Regional District.

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The Wildfire Service estimated the fire at 55,000 hectares as of 10 p.m. Friday.

“Southwesterly winds, gusting upwards of 40 km/hr, and Rank 4/5 fire behaviour is challenging suppression efforts,” said the BCWS at that time. “Structure protection personnel have a roving patrol set up along Westside Road, as well as in the Swan Lake area where personnel are prepared to defend from potential spot fires.”

Vernon Matters will provide updates when they become available.