UPDATE: 2:35 p.m
Little rain fell on the Keremeos Creek wildfire Thursday morning, and crews are conducting a two-mile controlled burn just northwest of Olala.
The RDOS Emergency Operations Center provided an update on the fire situation on Thursday afternoon, hours after the evacuation order for 220 properties in the Olala area was lifted.
RDOS information officer Eric Thompson said the evacuation order was lifted as there was no immediate danger to Olala residents, although the area was already under an evacuation warning in case conditions changed.
BC Wildfire Service Carly Derosiers said the planned burn north of Olala is going well Thursday, but thunderstorms in the forecast could bring gusty winds that could increase fire behavior later this afternoon.
However, the thunderstorms that were forecast for Wednesday never made it to the Keremeos Creek wildfire area.
Structural Protection firefighters remain on scene at Apex Mountain Resort, which is still under an evacuation order. Desrosiers said there is no timetable for when that order might be lifted. Structural protection crews are also working in the Green Mountain Road area.
BCWS crews continue to clear the south and east flanks of the fire, but it is burning uncontained on the west flank, which is inaccessible to crews.
The EOC will provide another live fire update Friday afternoon.
UPDATE: 1:55 p.m
The Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District Emergency Operations Center is broadcasting a live update on the Keremeos Creek Wildfire Thursday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
UPDATE: 10:25 a.m
Hundreds of Olala residents can now return home after the evacuation order was lifted on Thursday morning.
The Keremeos Creek wildfire was first discovered on July 29 and has since grown to more than 6,700 hectares. The fast-growing fire quickly forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in the Apex Mountain, Green Mountain Road and Olala areas.
But on Thursday morning, evacuation orders were lifted for another 220 properties in the Olala area. Instead, those homes are now under an evacuation warning, and residents should be prepared to leave immediately if the fire grows.
Highway 3A through the area remains open to local traffic only and RCMP officers continue to patrol the area.
The lifting of the evacuation order comes after 54 homes were removed from the evacuation order on Wednesday. At this time, 273 properties remain evacuated as a result of the fire at Keremeos Creek, at Apex Mountain Resort and along Green Mountain and Sheep Creek roads. A full map of current evacuation orders and alerts can be found here.
The Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District Emergency Operations Center will hold a live news conference at 2:00 p.m. Thursday.
ORIGINAL: 9:45 am
Fire crews are expecting increased fire behavior at the Keremeos Creek Wildfire on Thursday as gusty winds are forecast.
More accurate mapping of the large fire burning southwest of Penticton brought the latest size estimate to 6,712 hectares — slightly less than Wednesday’s size estimate.
Conditions were favorable for fire crews overnight and crews continued to clean up in areas between the wild and urban areas, along Highway 3A and in other key areas.
Thunderstorms are expected in the fire area Thursday afternoon and into Friday.
“Winds will be light in the unstable air mass this afternoon, but strong erratic and gusty winds should be expected near thunderstorms,” BCWS said in an update Thursday morning.
“Therefore, crews are instructed to be prepared for increased fire behavior and a change in fire direction.”
There was increased fire activity in the Cedar Creek area on Wednesday and crews continue to work to contain the fire on the west and north flanks. Firefighters have now established stable containment lines on the south and east sides of the fire.
BCWS says area residents should expect increased smoke today as crews may work to burn a two-kilometre swath to harden control lines northwest of Olalla along the Olalla Forest Service Road.
A drone thermal scan was taken overnight in the Sheep Creek Road area to help firefighters identify hot spots. BCWS says this will help facilitate the return of evacuees to the area.
There are currently 282 BCWS firefighters working on the fire right now, along with 51 additional structural protection firefighters from BC Fire Services.
Sixteen helicopters have also been assigned to fight the fire, along with 45 pieces of heavy equipment.
Photo: BCWS
Firefighters clean up the scene of the Keremeos Creek wildfire.
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