KELOWNA WILDFIRE,
Nearly 500 properties affected by order as blaze exceeds three square kilometres in size
About 1,100 people living east of Kelowna have been ordered to evacuate Thursday because of a rapidly advancing wildfire.
The new blaze is burning in the Highway 33/Philpott Road region.
An evacuation order has been issued for the entire area of Joe Rich, from Walker Hill on the Highway 33 western boundary of Kelowna, to Big White Road to the east, and Mission Creek and Joe Rich Creek along the south, according to Central Okanagan Emergency Operations. About 474 properties are affected, but should conditions worsen, more people could be forced to evacuate.
All properties west of Cardinal Creek Road have been placed on evacuation alert.
The Philpott Road wildfire, which is burning about 20 kilometres east of Kelowna, was reported around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. It reportedly grew to 1 1/2 square kilometres in just a matter of hours, and has since doubled to three square kilometres, drawing fire crews from the Joe Rich, Kelowna, Ellison and Lake Country departments to battle the blaze. The B.C. Wildfire Service is at the scene as well.
“It is considered out of control at the moment,” said Melanie Moran, a B.C. Wildfire Service information officer.
An Emergency Support Services reception centre is being set up at Willow Park Church in Kelowna.
Fortis B.C. interrupted service for about 2,500 customers in the area to assess damage from the fire and determine the impact on the electricity system.
The public has been asked to avoid the Hwy. 33 area so emergency-responders can effectively perform their duties.
Elsewhere, calmer weather and continuing progress battling some of the other wildfires in the province mean hikers and campers can soon return to some parts of the backcountry in the Central Interior, the Ministry of Forests said.
Recreation Sites and Trails B.C. said select campsites and trails in the Cariboo fire centre were scheduled to reopen at noon today.
It follows a decision Wednesday to rescind a sweeping ban on access to Crown land in the region.
“We wanted to get a return to normalcy as soon as it was safe, as soon as it was practical,” said Kevin Skrepnek with the wildfire service.
The sites were closed July 13, one week after a lightning storm tore across the Central Interior, sparking dozens of separate wildfires that forced 45,000 people from their homes.
The number of evacuation orders has declined over the last two weeks and Emergency Management B.C. said earlier Thursday that about 2,500 people remained out of their homes as 154 fires continued to burn.
Although some backcountry areas will reopen today, the ministry said other trails and recreation sites remain closed.
People are encouraged to check the websites of the wildfire service, sites and trails, and B.C. Parks for the latest information on closures.
A campfire ban remains in effect throughout the Cariboo fire centre, which covers most of central B.C., including Williams Lake and Quesnel, the closest communities to a 4,600-sq.-km wildfire that is the biggest ever recorded in the province.
The campfire ban is also in effect for most of the southern half of the province.
Skrepnek said although weather conditions have improved, dry conditions across the province are unprecedented, leaving it unclear when the campfire ban can be lifted.
There are scattered showers in the forecast for some fire-affected areas, but Skrepnek said there is still no sign of significant rainfall coming.