Parts of Keremeos now under evacuation alert, Highway 3A closed

Evacuation orders and alerts prompted by the Keremeos Creek wildfire expanded Thursday, as the fire continues to rage in B.C.’s Interior.

People living in portions of the Village of Keremeos, southwest of Penticton, have been told to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice.

About 450 properties in the village are covered by the expanded alert.

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Meanwhile, more homes are now covered by evacuation orders, including those living east of Highway 3A, which connects Keremeos and Penticton. DriveBC has confirmed Highway 3A is now closed between Upper Bench Road and Highway 97. The ministry is suggesting Highway 3 as an alternate route.

In total, 547 properties have been ordered to clear out, up from just over 400 earlier in the day.

Mikhail Elsay with the BC Wildfire Service says the wind isn’t helping.

“The weather system traveling across our region right now is just contributing higher winds, which is creating higher fire behavior,” he said.

“The fire is highly visible from the highway. It’s very close to the side of the highway, and for the safety of our firefighters and the public, we would just want to remind people to slow down and please don’t stop,” Elsay said.

A reception centre for evacuees has been set up at Princess Margaret Secondary School in Penticton.

Fire information officer Bryan Zandberg told CityNews Thursday morning that fire crews saw unfavourable conditions overnight near Olalla — along the south-western part of the fire — with flames spreading up the mountain west.

“Really significant fire behaviour around 10 p.m., rank four behaviour, just a wall of fire going up that mountain from what I understand. And then we had some 30 kilometre an hour winds pushing toward the south, and there are houses down there,” Zandberg said.

The BC Wildfire Service was forced to reorient crews — with teams working around the clock — to get a handle on things.

“It was very face paced but we were very responsive and so were all of our partners working on it. The residents too. Everybody pulled together to protect those homes,” Zandberg told CityNews.

While he notes the growth and activity observed Wednesday night wasn’t exactly what crews wanted to see, conditions were cooler and wetter Thursday, with lower temperatures and higher humidity in the air.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar and Tim James