UPDATE: Okanagan wildfire being held, most evacuations lifted

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.

Most of the residents evacuated due to a wildfire north of Penticton this morning are being allowed to return home with the fire being held.

It broke out on the hillside near Highway 97 causing 74 homes in the Sage Mesa area to be evacuated, but no homes were damaged.

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UPDATE 11 a.m.

The Penticton Fire Department reports the fire in the west bench area north of Penticton is now classified as “being held.”

@pentictonfire and @BCGovFireInfo are actioning a wildfire on west bench @EmergMgtRDOS Fire now is considered “Held”. Crews are now continuing to build guard and hit hot spots to control the perimeter of the fire.

— Penticton Fire Dept. (@pentictonfire) August 6, 2020

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UPDATE 10:10 a.m.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says 74 properties have been evacuated due to the wildfire north of Penticton.

Drive BC says it is now single lane alternating traffic through the fire area.

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Crews are actioning a new wildfire in the Okanagan, just north of Penticton on the hillside near the highway.

Drive BC says Highway 97 is shut down from 1 km north of Penticton to 2 km south of Summerland.

There are some tactical evacuations underway of homes in the nearby Sage Mesa area.

A reception centre has been set up for evacuees on Ellis St (across from Cannery Brewing) in Penticton.

View of the Sage Mesa grass fire across #OkanaganLake from Naramata. You can see the charred, black hillside above #BCHwy97 north of #Penticton it’s still producing some smoke. The homes above the fire have been evacuated. @GlobalOkanagan pic.twitter.com/2k1gtEw8fn

— Shelby Thom (@Shelby_Thom) August 6, 2020