Wildfire sparks near Penticton, dry conditions fuel rapid growth
Posted September 3, 2021 8:38 pm.
Last Updated September 3, 2021 11:13 pm.
PENTICTON (NEWS 1130) — A wildfire that sparked near Penticton Friday morning has now grown to 230 hectares fueled by dry conditions and strong wind.
The Hedges Butte fire is burning out of control 12 km southwest of Penticton, and roughly 60 properties have been placed on evacuation alert.
— PIB EOC (@PibEoc) September 4, 2021
Fire Information Officer Aydan Coray says the Southern Okanagan just hasn’t seen the same helpful weather conditions as other regions.
“While a lot of the province has been getting quite a bit of precipitation over the last few weeks. Unfortunately, the Okanagan is not one of those areas so the grass and the deeper fuels are still very very dry, compared to the seasonal normals for this time of year. As well, there’s southerly winds that are driving the fire,” she says.
“No structures or communities are imminently threatened right now, but we do encourage the public to stay up to date through their regional district or local government in any changing situations like this.”
The Penticton Indian Band and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen have both issued alerts for properties near the fire.
#EvacuationAlert issued by Penticton Indian Band due to the Hedges Butte #BCwildfire. More info & addresses: https://t.co/RVVLLaNsEp #Penticton #Okanaganhttps://t.co/QU3hJJMnH6
— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) September 4, 2021
EOC Update: Evacuation ALERT issued for Electoral Area “I” Sept. 3, 2021 5:00 pmhttps://t.co/l4NV7F9R99 @PibEoc @BCGovFireInfo
— RDOS EOC (@EmergMgtRDOS) September 4, 2021
The wildfire service is asking people to steer clear of aircraft skimming in Skaha and Okanagan Lakes. Coray says more resources have been sent to fight the fire as it’s grown.
“Initially, we had 16 personnel respond and that has now grown to around 30 BC wildfire personnel. They are being assisted by six helicopters, the local fire department, as well as our air skimming team, and there were some air tankers dropping retardants earlier this afternoon.”
White Rock Lake fire being held
Meantime, one of the largest and most destructive wildfires in British Columbia this summer was being held Friday, meaning it was not likely to spread beyond its existing containment lines.
The wildfire service says hundreds of personnel continued to extinguish hot spots around the perimeter of the 833-square-kilometre White Rock Lake fire.
The emergency operations centre for the central Okanagan has said at least 78 properties west of Okanagan Lake sustained significant damage, in addition to properties destroyed in Monte Lake and Westwold on the fire’s opposite flank.
More than 1,560 wildfires have scorched about 8,650 square kilometres of land since April 1, far above the 10-year average, according to the province.
With files from the Canadian Press
