Crews hope wet weather will help quell fast-growing Eagle Bluff wildfire near Oliver

OLIVER (NEWS 1130) – An out-of-control wildfire in the south Okanagan has grown to almost 23-square kilometres, but crews are hoping the weather may finally offer a bit of a break.

Temperature highs between Oliver and Okanagan Falls have consistently been in the upper 30s over the last few days, but Fire Information Officer Shannon Street with the B.C. Wildfire Service says they’re expected to drop significantly over a possibly stormy weekend.

“There is the potential for some showers and a little bit of wind,” she explains. “There is the possibility for lightning in the forecast — things can always change with the weather, but there is that possibility that we’re preparing for.”

#BCWildfire #EagleBluff #OliverBC #BCHwy97 #BCHwy3A pic.twitter.com/5athRrg1r1

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 9, 2019

The Eagle Bluff wildfire did see some growth on Thursday as firefighters conducted controlled burns near Mud Lake. Street says the fire continues to burn in difficult terrain, described as being quite steep and “inoperable.”

“As the fire has grown over the last couple of days, it’s actually come into more operable terrain that the crews can work on more safely and that we can get heavy equipment in,” she explains.

“So it’s actually been a benefit for us that it’s grown a little bit in some areas,” Street adds.

Successful planned ignitions conducted by #BCWildfire crews on the #EagleBluff wildfire today. #OliverBC pic.twitter.com/To8M5EAmRo

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 9, 2019

While 160 firefighters and more than a dozen aircraft battle the flames, Street says crews used night-vision goggles to get a better sense of the scope of the Eagle Bluff fire Thursday night.

“We were trialing night vision operations,” she explains, adding a plane was flying over the fire during the night time. “To map the fire a little bit better, and get a better situational awareness for when crews got there in the morning to start working during the day.”

The B.C. Wildfire Service says local businesses are still open, and doesn’t want people to think that the wildfire is impacting potential summer plans.

“The smoke is generally, currently pushing away from the Penticton area, so right now we just want to make sure that people know that they can still enjoy their summer up here.”