Firefighters continued to be on high alert across the province Wednesday, as at least one wildfire doubled in size Tuesday, the flames fanned by the hot and dry winds.
The Mount McAllister fire, burning 56 kilometres west of Chetwynd, has grown to more than 10,000 hectares, up from around 5,000 hectares in size earlier in the day. The Peace River Regional District has ordered an evacuation order for the area directly south and west of Hudson鈥檚 Hope. At this time, officials say there is some infrastructure at risk but no houses.
Meantime, an evacuation alert has been issued for up to 35 properties near Murray Lake in the Thompson-Nicola region. The Maka-Murray fire, west of Murray Lake is believed to have been caused by lightning on Monday and is now estimated to be about 80 hectares.
Elsewhere, firefighters continue to battle a brush fire on Mount Boucherie, located in West Kelowna. The fire had grown to about five hectares by late Tuesday afternoon and crews fought to keep it from spreading to nearby homes, said Melissa Klassen, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Forest鈥檚 Wildfire Management Branch.
A single Bird Dog aircraft guided a pair of air tankers over the mountain, helping them dump retardant around the flames, and a solitary helicopter dropped buckets of water onto the blaze. Ground crews from West Kelowna Fire Rescue fought flames on the perimeter.
The fixed-wing aircraft retired from the fight by the early evening, and by that time the fire was smouldering thanks to the firefighters鈥� efforts.
Structures in the area were not threatened by the fire, said Klassen. No evacuation alerts or orders have been issued, according to Central Okanagan Emergency Operations.
The blaze had reached a rank three status during the afternoon, said Klassen. A fire of that intensity is listed by the branch as a 鈥渧igorous surface fire with a moderate rate of spread.鈥� It has an organized front and can ignite trees, causing flare-ups.
Emergency officials asked boaters on nearby Okanagan Lake to stay out of the way of the helicopter as it filled its bucket with lake water.
An emergency operations鈥� centre is now running and police are redirecting traffic away from a local road.
Meanwhile firefighters are struggling to contain a fire at Apex Mountain, west of Penticton. The fire started Tuesday afternoon and by Wednesday morning at grown 15 hectares to 35 hectares. Fire information officer Kayla Pepper says officials suspect it was caused by human activity. Thirteen firefighters worked overnight and more resources are set to be deployed later Wednesday. Although the blaze is spreading, it is not threatening any homes or structures.
There have been several fires in that area of the Okanagan Valley area over the years, including a 2003 forest fire that burned into Kelowna and consumed 238 homes.
Further west, nearly three dozen homes are under an evacuation order after a major fire broke out Monday near Murray Lake, about 50 kilometres southwest of Merritt, said Pepper.
Ground crews have pulled back from the 80 hectare fire for safety reasons, leaving the fight to aircraft.
The Wildfire Management Branch reports there are a few dozen fires larger than 10 hectares that are still burning in the province or in the mop-up stages.
Meanwhile firefighters are beginning to get a handle on the Red Creek fire, burning 61 kilometres southeast of Tumbler Ridge. The blaze is now mapped at just over 6,000 hectares from more than 10,000 earlier this week and firefighters say it is now 35 per cent contained.
An evacuation order remains in effect, however, for a nearby oil and gas camp. About 200 people are affected by that order.
With files from the 91原创 Press
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