Keremeos Creek wildfire currently stable, coming hot weather pose risks

The Keremeos Creek wildfire is currently stable for now after BC Wildfire Service says it hasn’t seen any organic growth in the past week.

The wildfire service says the recent cooler weather has contributed to the stability, however, the coming hot weather expected later this week does pose a risk.

“We are seeing that temperatures are going to be moderate at the beginning of the week but then heat up again later on in the week. So, something that we’re keeping an eye on but overall most things are stable,” Karly Desrosiers, fire information officer, told CityNews.

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Desrosiers says crews have contained the majority of the almost 7,000-hectare fire, but it will be considered “out of control” until the entire perimeter is controlled.

“We have not seen any uncontrolled growth in the past week, so this additional growth over the weekend was attributed to a small planned ignition that was completed at the end of last week,” she explained.

The Highway 3A corridor has also seen little-to-no activity over the weekend, with crews working to extinguish all remaining hotspots in the area.

“Crews are in there and extinguishing all remaining hotspots, and removing any combustible fuel. In the coming days, we’ll be doing an aerial infrared scan to identify any hotspots in that area.”

The stability of the fire comes after the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) rescinded the evacuation order for selected properties along Highway 3A last Wednesday.

“Evacuation Orders have been rescinded for properties from Twin Lakes to just north of Olalla. This includes selected properties accessed homes along Sheep Creek Rd. Highway 3A will remain closed for through traffic,” said an RDOS statement.

All the latest updates can be found on the BC Wildfire Services dashboard.