Keremeos Creek wildfire continues to blaze as locals prepare for the worst

As firefighters battle to contain the Keremeos Creek wildfire, nearby homes and ranches continue to be at risk in the Southern Okanagan.

Linda Lawrence, owner of 3Winds Ranch for 42 years, which is ​located in the heart of the Similkameen Valley and around 4 kilometres south of Olalla, says while her ranch isn’t directly in the way of the wildfire, there are fears that can quickly change.

“The biggest problem is if the wind comes up, the fire can move very fast,” said Lawrence. “It depends on the wind, that’ll be the big thing.”

“I went up and saw the fire the other night when it was really windy. And it was just like a snake going across the ground.”

As of Friday afternoon, the Keremeos Creek fire has grown to 5,903 hectares, up from 4,250 hectares earlier in the day. About 450 properties in the area were included in an expanded evacuation alert Thursday, increasing the total to 547. Approximately 1,600 properties are under an evacuation alert.

Lawrence says over 50 horses, several stallions, chickens, dogs, and more make their home on her ranch.

She explains they’ve already started to plan what to do if the fire heads towards the property, including moving animals off the ranch, but is hopeful it won’t come to that.

“I try to keep things green we have grass and pastures,” said Lawrence. “I think we can probably have the fire sort of go round hopefully, but it just depends on the wind.”

Lawrence says the community, in and around Olalla, has pulled together to help each other in this dangerous situation.

“There’s so many people who have been very helpful offering to come in and help. Like yesterday, there was lots of vehicles going up to Olalla and helping people get their personal stuff out.”

“That’s the great part, people are getting together to help each other and work together.”

Related links:

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

• B.C. wildfire season sees slow start, to ramp up through August: outlook

Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer says his town is a “well-oiled machine” due to previous alerts and warnings, but the concern is always there.

“I think it’s always important that you assume [the] worst case scenario with high winds and high temperatures, “said Bauer. “Fire also has its own spirit in terms of doing things that are not necessarily anticipated.”

“Our residents are aware of the alert, north of Highway 3. And so right now [I have] general concern, but I’m hoping that this will not go any further,” he added.

The mayor says the town is mentally prepared for any worst case scenarios.

“At this point, I think because it looks pretty clear out there, people are not too concerned about it,” he said.

(Photo credit: BC Wildfire Service)

Bryan Zandberg with the BC Wildfire Service told CityNews Friday high winds have made it a tough fire to fight.

“We had winds driving down from the north to the south. And so it was pushing the fire up against Highway 3A and also pushing it a little further, sort of Southwest toward the community of Olalla. And, yeah, we were just not comfortable with what the fire was doing. We were challenged by it,” said Zandberg.

Zandberg had a few strategies for home owners trying to protect their property.

“[Remove] fuels from the edges of your property. If you’re living up in the woods there are a lot of fuels, like needles and grass and trees, and such growing at the edge of your property.”

He adds the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen FireSmart program has great advice on how to keep properties safe.

Updates to B.C. wildfires can be found on the Wildfire Service dashboard.