A wildfire near Oliver that's prompted an evacuation alert is believed to be human-caused, BC Wildfire Services says.
The fire, discovered Sunday, is burning near Eagle Bluff, between Okanagan Falls and Oliver. At first, the wildfire was estimated to be 120 hectares, but it's now believed to be 225.
Early Monday morning, an evacuation alert was recommended for the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen for electoral area C and for the Osoyoos Indian Band.
BC Wildfire Services says 100 people have been assigned to the fire, adding there are two water tenders and crews operating overnight. An incident management team is expected to be onsite Tuesday and a structure protection specialist is in the area assessing residences under evacuation alert.
The terrain is making the fire particularly challenging to fight, officials say.
"It is pretty steep and rocky up there," Nicole Bonnett, prevention specialist at BC Wildfire Service said. "There's also some powerlines and transformer lines … so that poses a little bit of an issue for helicopters and bucketing as far as safety goes we want them to steer clear of those areas so their long lines and things don't get tangled up."
On Monday, Environment Canada issued an air quality statement for the region, saying it will be impacted by wildfire smoke for the next 24 to 48 hours.
"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."
The Eagle Bluff fire is burning less than 60 kilometres away from the 403-hectare Richter Mountain fire, which is between Osoyoos and Keremeos.
