Okanagan firefighters face hot, dry forecast

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Crews fighting three largely uncontrolled fires in the West Kelowna area of B.C.'s Okanagan Valley aren't expecting help from the weather, which is forecast to stay hot and dry for days.

CBC meteorologist Claire Martin was forecasting temperatures in Kelowna would reach 35 C on Tuesday.

Overnight Sunday, officials used thermal imaging to map the fires on the western shore of Okanagan Lake and determine where to put their resources, which include hundreds of firefighters and dozens of aircraft. Steep slopes, rough terrain and hot smoky conditions were making the work challenging for crews.

Monday morning, B.C. Forest Service fire information officer Kirsten Jones said it remained unclear how the weather was likely to affect firefighting efforts.

"We did get the same kind of forecast for yesterday that we never really saw materialize. For instance, we heard there would be some winds, but we didn't really have the winds yesterday. We have heard that we may have some winds today, so again, we're hoping Mother Nature is on our side again and we don't get the winds," Jones said.

But the longer-term forecast offered little chance of relief, with temperatures forecast to stay above 30 C with hot, dry conditions expected to continue for the rest of the week. Martin said there is a risk of thundershowers on Thursday.

Evacuation order conditionally lifted

Six thousand of the 11,000 residents of the Glenrosa Road area who had been ordered evacuated were to be allowed to return home at 8 a.m. Tuesday, officials said Monday night. But they could be forced out again at a moment's notice.

 "It's important to note that the residents that are going back are still on an evacuation alert," said Jason Johnson, of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. "There still is a danger and it's important that residents be aware that they may be asked to leave if conditions change."

But West Kelowna Fire Chief Wayne Schnitzler said a great deal of progress was made on the fire Monday.

"We had a really good day today," Schnitzler said. "I know there's still a lot of people that are affected so it's not a really good day for everybody yet. Our goal is to get a really good day for everybody."

Six thousand residents of the Bear Creek, Shannon Woods, West Kelowna Estates, Crystal Springs and Brookhaven neighbourhoods remained on alert on Monday, ready to leave if ordered out.

The most dangerous fire started Saturday afternoon in Glenrosa and spread quickly, destroying three homes. Dale Bojahra, a forest protection technician with the B.C. Forest Service said that fire was about four square kilometres in size on Monday morning.

Crews were able to get heavy machinery into one section and excavate a partial fireguard on Sunday, leaving the fire about 40 per cent contained on Monday morning, said Bojahra. Fire crews planned to continuing attacking that fire on the ground Monday, but expected to be hampered by the smoke and difficult terrain.

The fire originally broke out just behind the Gorman Brothers lumber mill, but intensive efforts by fire crews managed to keep the flames at bay over the weekend.

The roof of one building on the site was damaged and some piles of finished lumber burned, but the mill — which employs several hundred people — was still standing on Monday morning. However, the Gorman family lost two homes to the blaze.

Rose Valley and Terrace Mountain fires

Another fire near the Rose Valley Dam was 1.5 square kilometres in size on Monday morning. The fire was threatening homes in the area, which were under an evacuation order, and the area was affected by road closures.

Fire officials said they have put fire retardant around 90 per cent of that blaze, but the steep terrain made it too dangerous to fight the fire from the ground, and the swirling wind and smoke made it difficult for helicopters and air tankers to battle it from the air.

Meanwhile, a third fire at Terrace Mountain, near Fintry, grew rapidly overnight to 8.5 square kilometres as it jumped a creek and spread to the south, officials said Monday morning.

That fire was very dangerous and was only being fought from the air because of the rough terrain, but it was not immediately threatening any structures or the community of Fintry, officials said.

Officials believe both the Rose Valley and Terrace Mountain fires were started by people, but there is no official word yet on the cause of the Glenrosa fire

Road closures

Highway 97 which travels up the west side of Okanagan Lake through West Kelowna was closed in both directions indefinitely because of the fires, but an alternate route between Penticton and Highway 33 via McClulock Road and Forestry Service Road 201 was opened for light vehicle traffic.

The municipality of West Kelowna has also declared a state of emergency, which remains in effect and a 24-hour emergency operations centre was been set up by officials.

Residents affected by the evacuation order were asked to report to emergency evacuation reception centres at Royal LePage Place at 2760 Cameron Rd. and Mount Boucherie Secondary School at 2751 Cameron Rd. Concerned residents or relatives can call 1-250-469-8490. Residents who are unable to reach evacuation centres were asked to call 778-797-2269.

Police are asking people to stay away from critical areas like the highway roadblock and portions of Okanagan Lake where air support is scooping up water to use on the fires.

A Telus official asked people to use their cellphones only if necessary, because wireless service in the area is overwhelmed. Dr. Paul Hasselback of the Interior Health Authority said air quality has also become a concern.