Evacuation alerts in Oliver have expanded to include another 41 properties, as the Eagle Bluff fire has grown to 1,500 hectares in size.

The fire, discovered Sunday, is burning near Eagle Bluff, between Okanagan Falls and Oliver and is now roughly three times the size of Stanley Park.

BC Wildfire Service says some of the fire's recent growth was "partially due to successful small scale ignitions," which were done to remove any combustible fuels that could be between the fire's perimeter and the community. If conditions allow, more small scale ignitions are planned for Thursday.

Evacuation alerts for some properties were put in place on Monday and have since expanded to include the Okanagan Correctional Centre and the Osoyoos Indian Band. 

Late Wednesday night, another 41 properties were added to the evacuation alert list, all in the McKinney Creek area. 

Fire crews say the terrain has made fighting the blaze extra challenging. The weather hasn't helped either, with windy and hot temperatures in the region. 

"We have ashes all over our yard. No, we're not feeling very safe at all,” said Jenn Kreut, an Oliver Resident.

Kreut’s home is one of more than 200 properties effected by the evacuation alert, but she chose to leave earlier this week.

"We're like that's moving very fast, so we packed up and we left,” Kreut told CTV News.

She returned days later, when it appeared crews had the upper hand, but was met with a wall of flame.

"You could just see that whole mountain half way down to Oliver downtown area is just raging flames,” Kreut explained.

Eighty personnel will be on site throughout the day, with 20 working overnight. Additional resources will arrive to the area today, BC Wildfire Services says. 

On Monday, Environment Canada issued an air quality statement for the South Okanagan region, saying conditions will be impacted by wildfire smoke for the next few days.

"During a wildfire, smoke conditions can change quickly over short distances and can vary considerably hour-by-hour," Environment Canada's statement says. "Wildfire smoke is a natural part of our environment but it is important to be mindful that exposure to smoke may affect your health."

Drivers have also been warned to be cautious in the area, as delays are possible seven kilometres north of Oliver to two kilometres south of Okanagan Falls because of the wildfire and smoke.  

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Regan Hasegawa