Some evacuation orders lifted near Keremeos, B.C., wildfire
Evacuation orders were lifted for about 50 properties near a wildfire in Keremeos, B.C., as crews expect to see subdued conditions over the coming days.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen announced the change to evacuation orders and alerts for select properties along Highway 3A Wednesday morning.
It pertains primarily to properties in the areas of Twin Lakes Road and White Lake Road.
For properties that were under evacuation order, an alert is instead in place. There are still 493 properties on evacuation order and more than 900 on evacuation alert.
Mikhail Elsay with BC Wildfire Service said during a morning update the changes were recommended based on "current and anticipated fire behaviour."
"Crews have been able to diligently mop up and reduce the risk of wildfire in that section," he said.
Overnight, a drone-operated thermal scan was conducted to determine where hotspots need to be targeted along the highway corridor.
"Crews have done a very thorough job over the last few days, and so this thermal scan will allow us to really nail down the final spots," Elsay said.
"There's lots of rocky, deep-burning root systems … these drones are very sensitive, they can pick up even small amounts of heat, so we'll be able to really confirm the work that we're doing out there."
The fire, discovered on July 29 southwest of Penticton, measured at just over 6,800 hectares Wednesday morning.
If positive progress continues, and the weather co-operates, orders for more neighbourhoods could be lifted in the coming days.
As of Wednesday evening, evacuation orders remain in place for all of Olalla and communities around Apex Mountain Resort.
The BC Wildfire Service expects the fire to continue to burn – sometimes aggressively – for weeks, but is confident the guards it has put in place around communities will be able to protect them.
To get to this stage, firefighters have used controlled burns to clear out additional fuel that could feed the fire in otherwise unpredictable ways, and fire blocks created by using heavy machinery to bulldoze sections of brush, creating a gap crews hope the fire will not be able to cross.
“Operations are going really well. We continue to establish lines to the west and on the north components of this fire,” said Bryan Zandberg, a fire information officer. “We have crews out there trying to cool it down.”
Even as the outlook improves on the Keremeos Creek fire, there is trouble looming on the horizon elsewhere in the southern Interior of the province.
Thunderstorms threaten to bring lightning strikes, which could ignite more fires throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre.
BCWS says it has people monitoring the storm system and teams of firefighters ready for rapid deployment to try to get the upper hand on any new fires caused by the anticipated lightning.
“We will have a lot of initial attack crews that are poised and ready to go,” said Zandberg. “They’re put on standby, ready to go at a moment’s notice, hop in a helicopter or a pump truck as need be, and just get to the scene really quickly.”
After a slow start, there is the very real possibility the province’s fire season could ramp up, with weeks to go before British Columbians can breathe easy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.