Evacuation orders lifted for most of Osoyoos, B.C., as crews tackle Eagle Bluff wildfire
What you need to know about B.C. wildfires for Aug. 8
The latest on the wildfires:
- Evacuation orders have been rescinded in the town of Osoyoos, B.C., on the Canada-U.S. border, with the wildfire service saying it has made good progress on the Eagle Bluff wildfire.
- Dozens more properties are on evacuation alert because of the wildfires near Adams Lake, northeast of Kamloops, B.C.
- A smoky skies bulletin remains in effect for Fort Nelson, the central and southern Interior and southeastern B.C.
- Evacuation orders remain in place across B.C., including at Adams Lake and Gun Lake, and north of Lytton.
- As of 5 p.m. PT, there are currently 411 active fires in B.C., with 14 fires of note — fires that are highly visible or threatening public safety.
- Learn more about how to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.
Evacuation orders covering hundreds of properties in and around Osoyoos, B.C., due to the Eagle Bluff wildfire have now largely been downgraded to alerts, with crews making good progress on the blaze.
The blaze, which is burning on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, led to serious concern for the town of over 5,000 residents when it first sparked on July 29.
After favourable wind shifts and planned ignitions to limit the spread of the blaze, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has downgraded the evacuation order for hundreds of properties to an evacuation alert.
Erick Thompson, an RDOS spokesperson, says two properties within the town and 132 properties just outside it remain on evacuation alert.
"This is a really important reminder for anyone who is out there right now driving in the region where this wildfire is, on Highway 3, to slow down," Thompson told Sarah Penton, host of CBC's Radio West. "You will have a lot of people returning home. You still have fire crews in the area."
Thompson said returning residents may continue to see smoke and even flames in the area, with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) working with their U.S. counterparts on the blaze.
An evacuation alert means residents should prepare to evacuate their homes, possibly with little to no notice. An evacuation order means a resident should leave immediately.
An update from the BCWS said that planned ignition operations on the northeast, north and west flanks of the fire were successful in limiting fire growth.
"Danger tree assessment and falling will be ongoing as personnel continue to assess work areas," reads the update. "Crews are making good progress during patrols, mopping up areas where the ignition operations occurred."
Thunderstorms spark new fires
The BCWS says thunderstorms over the long weekend caused a spike in fire activity across the province, pushing the total number of active wildfires past 400.
The service said there were 411 active fires as of Tuesday evening, including 26 new starts in the past 24 hours.
"At this time of year, it's pretty typical to see an increase in starts like that over a short period of time, just given we're seeing lots of lightning activity across the province," said fire information officer Erika Berg.
"Fire season isn't over yet, that's for sure."
The largest wildfire recorded in provincial history, the Donnie Creek fire, now stands at 5,831 square kilometres in size — an area larger than Prince Edward Island.
New evacuation alert near Adams Lake
As of Monday, more properties in the B.C. Interior are on evacuation alert due to wildfires near Adams Lake.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said 85 addressed properties are on alert due to the Bush Creek East wildfire.
Both the Thompson-Nicola and the Columbia Shuswap regional districts have evacuation orders in place for wildfires burning on opposite sides of Adams Lake — the Lower East Adams Lake and Bush Creek East fires.
Meanwhile, a wildfire burning near Princeton, B.C., forced the evacuation of a music festival attended as many as 1,000 people over the long weekend.
The Rice Road wildfire, roughly 11 kilometres northwest of Princeton, prompted RCMP and fire crews to evacuate the Under the Stars Music Festival on Sunday.
RCMP said the fire started Sunday when an ATV caught fire near the village of Coalmont, about 20 kilometres northwest of Princeton.
The service said the fire, which is less than a square kilometre in size, is visible from Princeton and surrounding areas but not threatening any buildings.
"We are asking folks to be extremely careful with any activity that could spark a wildfire," said Berg.
Anyone placed under an evacuation order should leave the area immediately.
Evacuation centres have been set up throughout the province to assist anyone evacuating from a community under threat from a wildfire.
To find the centre closest to you, visit the EmergencyInfoBC website.
Evacuees are encouraged to register with Emergency Support Services online, whether or not they access services at an evacuation centre.
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If you've been affected by the B.C. wildfires and want to share your story, email cbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca.
With files from CBC's Radio West, The Early Edition and The Canadian Press