Forecasted thunderstorms making fire officials nervous
Another evacuation order was rescinded Thursday for properties near the Keremeos Creek wildfire, but officials were keeping their eyes on the sky as thunderstorms were forecast to roll through the Southern Interior.
The evacuation order that was rescinded covered approximately 220 properties in the community of Olalla and surrounding area. An evacuation alert was also rescinded that covered approximately 500 properties in and around the Village of Keremeos.
Still, 273 properties – including all of Apex Mountain Resort – remained under evacuation order as of Thursday afternoon, while another 399 properties remained under alert. The fire itself was pegged at 6,700 hectares, unchanged from a day earlier.
BC Wildfire Service spokeswoman Karley Desrosiers told a press conference the fire is still burning uncontrolled in rugged terrain on its western flank, but remains approximately five kilometres from Apex Mountain Resort, which is guarded by structure protection equipment and crews.
Desrosiers said there’s no timeline for when the Apex evacuation order might be lifted.
In the meantime, the BC Wildfire Service had 500 personnel, plus related equipment, on standby in anticipation of new starts expected to accompany a series of thunderstorms forecast to hit the region Thursday evening and Friday morning with gusty winds and daytime high temperatures in the mid30 C range.
“Initial attack will be key for any new starts, and then crews are just preparing and watching for those weather systems as they move in and staying aware (the systems) could bring the wind and the heat,” said Desrosiers.
“It just really depends on if that system does kind of make it to this specific area or does end up a little bit elsewhere.”
So far, one home and one outbuilding have been confirmed destroyed by the Keremeos Creek wildfire, which was first reported July 29. It’s the largest fire currently burning in B.C. and its cause remains under investigation.