High winds driving Osoyoos, B.C., wildfire closer to neighbourhoods

Vancouver -

An evacuation order on the eastern edge of Osoyoos, B.C., was expanded Thursday, as gusty afternoon winds pushed the Nk’Mip Creek fire closer to homes in that community.

Officials with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen added 164 additional properties to the list, including one belonging to Betty and Kent Drover, who spoke to CTV News as they loaded important belongings into their vehicles.

"It's scary. You work your whole life to build a home and it could go at any moment,” said Betty Drover. “And that's the uncertain part. You don't know what you're coming back to."

Many of the newly evacuated homes are built into hillsides on steep rugged terrain, making firefighting efforts in the area dangerous and challenging.

RDOS officials urged people to take the evacuation order seriously and leave as soon as possible.

“The evacuation for electoral area A has been expanded due to the immediate danger to life safety,” said communications coordinator Erick Thompson. "If things get bad, and you are in immediate danger, someone will knock on the door. And it will likely be RCMP, possibly assisted by search and rescue or the local fire department."

Earlier in the week, the B.C. Wildfire Service estimated the blaze to be about 2,000 hectares in size. Officials say it has grown significantly since then but because of the steep terrain and smoky conditions, they do not have an accurate estimate on how big it is now.

"We're seeing a trend over the past few days which is expected to continue for about the next five days where the wind tends to pick up at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon which is often the hottest part of the day,” said Fire Information Officer Dani McIntosh.

The aggressive and unpredictable fire has evacuating residents on edge – hoping firefighters can keep the flames from reaching their homes.

“They’re continuing to protect properties, and so far they have,” Drover said. “And that’s what we can only hope for.”