UPDATE Winds could be factor today for South Okanagan wildfire

Aug 18, 2020 | 5:44 PM Pete McIntyre

UPDATE 5 a.m. Aug. 21

Thirteen helicopters and more than 100 ground crew were in action against the Christie Mountain Wildfire Thursday.

Improved weather and smoke conditions allowed fixed-wing aircraft to get a better idea of the size and it was estimated at 2,000 hectares.

Expected winds of up to 60 km-h today have fire officials concerned as it could push the fire back towards Penticton.

The evacuation order for 319 homes in Heritage Hills just north of Okanagan Falls continues and a total of 3,700 south and east of Penticton are still on evacuation alert, including the Speedway. (Story by Russ Byth)

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UPDATE 11 a.m. Aug. 20

The B.C. Wildfire Service is reporting “great progress” by crews to put-in control lines on the Christie Mountain wildfire southeast of Penticton.

That said, the fire has grown another 600 hectares since Wednesday — now listed at 2, 000 hectares.

“The fire is burning in difficult rocky sloped terrain with limited access points for ground crews and heavy equipment. Crews and resources were challenged by the steep terrain as well as visibility yesterday. Poor visibility limited the use of fixed wing aircraft to the sections of the fire with better visibility,” said an update from fire information officer Nicole Bonnett.

The fire on the east side of Skaha Lake, was fairly quiet overnight but forecasted winds may create challenges this afternoon.

“They are expected to be 20-40 kilometres per hour and gusting up to 70 kilometres per hour out of the south,” said Bonnett.

Eight-four firefighters, members of the Penticton Fire Department and structure protection personnel are working on the fire scene today with all the evacuations and alerts still in effect.

“Twenty additional firefighters are en route and will arrive this afternoon. Ground personnel will be supported by 10 helicopters and four water tenders throughout the day today. The fire was fairly quiet overnight and mostly burning rank 1 (smoldering ground fire). Overnight crews made good progress protecting values in the area,” stated the information officer.

Today, crews are looking to find safe access to the north end of the fire if visibility improves.

“They made great progress yesterday and continued work on the southwest flank of the fire building and strengthening control lines for values protection and in some cases using small scale hand ignitions to remove pockets of unburnt fuel.”

At this point, 319 homes remain evacuated and over 3,700 other residences are on evacuation alert.

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UPDATE 9 p.m. Aug.19

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Christie Mountain wildfire between Penticton and Okanagan Falls is still listed at 1,400 hectares.

“The fire is burning in difficult rocky sloped terrain with limited access points for ground crews and heavy equipment. This afternoon, crews and resources were challenged by the steep terrain as well as visibility. Poor visibility limited the use of fixed wing aircraft to the sections of the fire with better visibility,” said an update on the service’s website.

“The fire activity decreased this afternoon and exhibited rank 1 and rank 2 behaviour.”

Evacuation orders remain in effect for 319 homes, with another 3,700 homes on evacuation alert.

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UPDATE 12 p.m. Aug. 19

The Christie Mountain wildfire southeast of Penticton continues to grow.

The B.C. Wildfire Service issued an update just after 12 p.m., listing the size at 1,400 hectares, up from the 1,000 Tuesday night.

“The fire is burning in difficult rocky sloped terrain with limited access points for ground crews and heavy equipment. Most of the growth is attributed to overnight winds. This estimate will change once smoke begins to dissipate and visibility becomes better,” said fire information officer Nicole Bonnett.

Bonnett said the wind is currently favourable and the fire is moving in a southeasterly direction (which is away from town) at this time.

“It continues to exhibit rank 2 behaviour with pockets of rank 3 where the sunlight hits.”

Rank 3 fire behaviour is described as organized surface flame front, moderate rate of spread, vigorous surface fire.

“As we move into the hottest and driest part of the day, fire activity is expected to increase. The wind is favourable at this time,” Bonnett added.

The service reports 66 firefighters and 7 helicopters are working on the fire site today.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Christie Mountain wildfire as of Tuesday night (Photo credit: BC Wildfire Service)

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UPDATE 11 a.m Aug. 19

The B.C. Wildfire Service is so far not reporting any new growth since Tuesday night on the Christie Mountain wildfire southeast of Penticton.

The fire is still estimated at 1,000 hectares as more firefighting resources are deployed to the site today.

The fire is burning in difficult rocky sloped terrain with limited access for ground crews.

“The winds were variable overnight which influenced the fire activity and contributed to some rank 3 fire behaviour,” said Nicole Bonnett, fire information officer.

Rank 3 fire behaviour is described as organized surface flame front, moderate rate of spread, vigorous surface fire.

There has been no new evacuation orders since residents of 319 homes were ordered out Tuesday evening, with about 3,700 other homes on evacuation alert.

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UPDATE 5 a.m. Aug. 19

The Okanagan’s first big wildfire of the season saw 319 properties placed on evacuation order Tuesday evening at the south end of Skaha Lake.

Smoke from the estimated 1,000 hectare wildfire near Okanagan Falls was widely visible throughout the entire Okanagan, as it burned above the Heritage Hills development.

B.C. Wildfire was using aircraft to drop water and retardant while ground crews made their way in to begin suppression work. (Story by Russ Byth)

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UPDATE 9:30 p.m.

A fire information officer at the scene says the Christie Mountain fire south of Penticton has expanded to 500 hectares.

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UPDATE 6 p.m.

The Christie Mountain wildfire is now estimated at 250 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

The fire is located on the east side of Skaha Lake between Penticton and Okanagan Falls in the South Okanagan.

The fire is burning in difficult rocky sloped terrain with limited access points for ground crews.

“We anticipate we will see further growth once we are able to get a more accurate track of the fire,”said a tweet from the Wildfire Service

5:30 p.m.

Hundreds of homes south of Penticton have been ordered to evacuate due to a fast growing wildfire.

The BC Wildfire Service is responding to the Christie Mountain wildfire about 6 kilometres north of Okanagan Falls, on the east side of Skaha Lake.

It is estimated at ten hectares in size. BCWS personnel are on site and are being supported by air tankers.

Christie Mountain wildfire (BCWS photo)

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an evacuation order for 319 properties in the area.

For more information visit their website: https://rdos.bc.ca

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