Wildfire north of Kelowna now 'being held,' evacuation alert rescinded

A wildfire burning in B.C.'s Southern Interior is now classified as "being held," and the evacuation alert for 18 properties in the vicinity has been rescinded.

The Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre issued the alert late Monday night, hours after the Bald Range Creek wildfire was discovered on the west side of Okanagan Lake.

The notice advised residents living between 3985 and 4096 Westside Road to be prepared to leave home for “an extended period of time,” but was rescinded less than 24 hours after it was issued.

On Tuesday afternoon, the BC Wildfire Service tweeted that the fire was not expected to spread beyond predetermined boundaries under current conditions.

Motorists were asked to avoid Westside Road, which was closed in both directions between Main Street and Deighton Road Monday night, but reopened to single-lane, alternating traffic on Tuesday.

Officials also asked boats to stay clear of the area to allow for BC Wildfire Service crews to do their work safely.

The fire, which officials believe started shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, is estimated to be 4.08 hectares in size.

It caused a major power outage, affecting some 1,377 customers in Fintry and Killiney Beach, according to the emergency operations centre, which said Tuesday that BC Hydro had partially restored power in the area.

A spokesperson for the electricity provider told Castanet News that the fire began when a tree came down on BC Hydro transmission lines. 

The cause of the blaze is still listed as "under investigation" on the BC Wildfire Service website.