Okanagan Firestorm

By Tom Mark

Okanagan Firestorm

Jul 19, 2018 | 4:37 AM

Picture: BC Wildfire Service

The Central Okanagan Regional District has activated an Emergency Operations Centre to support BC Wildfire Service crews fighting the Good Creek fire within Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park.

That fire, burning 5 kilometres east of Peachland on the east side of Okanagan Lake, is an estimated 200 hectares in size.

An evacuation alert has been issued for properties at the south end of Lakeshore Road, just south of the City of Kelowna boundary.

Properties affected by the evacuation alert include:
“6006 – 8888 Lakeshore Road

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Emergency Disaster Services

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3h ago

Evacuation orders were issued late last night and early this morning for a number of homes threatened by the Mount Eneas wildfire, approximately 4 kilometres south of Peachland.

That fire is also estimated at 200 hectares in size.

Thirty-four properties along Callan Road, Highway 97 and North Beach Road to the District of Summerland are affected.

An Emergency Social Services Reception Centre at the Penticton Community Centre at 325 Power Street.

An Emergency Support Services reception centre has also been set up at the Lakeview Heights Baptist Church, 2630 Alhambra Drive in West Kelowna.

Meanwhile,The District of Summerland has issued an Evacuation Alert for properties along Garnet Valley Road (north of, and including, Wildhorse Road) because of the same fire.

Highway 97 is open to single lane alternating traffic between Peachland and Summerland with a police escort as wildfire crews continue to battle fires in the area.

Meanwhile, Provincial air crews worked into the evening dropping retardant and water on the Brookside Creek wildfire off Hartnell Road in the BX area of Vernon.

The Dee Lake Road wildfire which started Monday south of Vernon is now listed as being held and remains at 7 hectares.

A small fire in Trinity Valley In Armstrong was smouldering at .01 hectares.

As of late last night, The BC Wildfire Service was reporting that several fires in the Okanagan are growing in size, with high temperatures persisting and windy conditions in the area.

The Wildfire Service says within the previous 24 hours, there had been more than one thousand lightning strikes resulting in approximately 34 new fire starts, many throughout the Okanagan and Similkameen region.

It is responding to these fires with ground crews, heavy equipment, helicopters and air tankers, as well as an Incident Management Team, while also continuing to assess new fires as they emerge.

by Tom Mark