UPDATE: No growth on Mt. Law Fire with good progress
UPDATE 10:00 a.m. Aug. 29
With the assistance from additional fire crews from Mexico that arrived at the Mount Law wildfire Saturday, combined with favourable weather conditions, there has been no significant growth of the fire in the last 24 hours.
The BC Wildfire Service is reporting “good progress” on the 976-hectare fire the last couple days, with it still classified as out of control.
“Visible smoke plumes continue in the area and while we know seeing smoke of any kind can be quite concerning for residents, these plumes are coming from within the perimeter of the fire,” said Jason Brolund, Fire Chief of West Kelowna Fire Rescue. “There are some active areas in this fire, BC Wildfire assures us there is an established fire guard around the perimeter and those lines are not currently being challenged.”
There are no changes to Evacuation Orders or Alerts. A detailed map showing properties on Order and Alert can be found at cordemergency.ca/map.
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UPDATE Aug. 28 2:15 p.m. Another property removed from Mt. Law wildfire evacuation order
There is now just one property still on evacuation order from the Mount Law wildfire in West Kelowna.
“As a result of ongoing firefighting efforts and favourable weather that included the rainfall yesterday, conditions on the Mount Law wildfire are improving. The Evacuation Order for the property at 4713 MacKinnon Road has been rescinded and downgraded to an Alert today,” a news release from Central Okanagan Emergency Operations stated on Saturday.
The Evacuation Order for the property at 3250 Highway 97, and all Evacuation Alerts remain in place.
Despite better conditions, the 976 hectare fire which started Aug. 15, is still considered as being out of control.
A detailed map showing the remaining alert and order areas is available at cordemergency.ca/map.
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New damages and accurate size of fire confirmed at Mt. Law wildfire
Aug 26, 2021 | 4:55 PM
Fire activity at the Mt. Law wildfire in West Kelowna has decreased, which has allowed crews to identify more damage and get a clearer picture of the size of the blaze.
A release from the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says abandoned outbuildings and fencing on properties outside the fire protection area have been damaged in the blaze.
It also notes that the fire size is now estimated at 930 hectares, though that is because of more accurate mapping and not of actual fire growth.
The fire remains out of control, but there had been some progress securing fire guards Thursday
“The events of last night are a startling example of just how unpredictable wildfires can be,” said Brian Reardon, Emergency Operations Centre Director.
“It’s also a great example of the teamwork shown by BC Wildfire and our local fire and rescue personnel. These crews worked side-by-side through the night during intense fire activity to protect our community.”
The right lane in each direction of Highway 97C remains closed for the safety of emergency crews and motorists, and the Evacuation Order is still in place for the properties at 4713 MacKinnon Road and 3250 Highway 97.
Evacuation Alerts also remain in effect, and residents in those areas are asked to monitor the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations website for updates, and to also be prepared with go-bags packed in case the fire conditions worsen.