High winds driving Osoyoos, B.C., wildfire closer to neighbourhoods
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.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'