Wildfire between Peachland, West Kelowna prompts evacuation alert

A small wildfire between Peachland and West Kelowna has the attention of the Central Okanagan Regional District.

It has issued a precautionary evacuation alert for more than a dozen properties.

The Jack Creek wildfire, sparked by lightning, is still considered small and is only four-and-a-half hectares. But people are being told they may have to leave the rural area as soon as possible.

#Evacuation Alert issued by Central Okanagan Regional District for properties along Maxwell Rd. due to wildfire. More info, properties impacted & link to map: https://t.co/s6qwhOiQmG #BCWildfire https://t.co/egQLcXVPuN

— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) September 8, 2022

“Residents in the area are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice. They should be prepared to be away from their home for an extended period of time, make arrangements for pets and pack essential items such as medicines and important documents,” reads a Central Okanagan Emergency Operations statement.

People can check the interactive map on CORDemergency.ca to see if their property is affected.

Photo credit: BC Wildfire Service

As well, the Region District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) has issued an evacuation alert for the Birchdale and Fry Creek area due to the Fry Creek wildfire

The Alert includes the following addresses and Property Identification Numbers (PID):

• 138 BIRCHDALE WAY
• 200 BIRCHDALE WAY
• 006-438-521 PID
• 007-093-951 PID
• 016-077-989 PID
• 016-429-079 PID
• 016-077-938 PID
• 016-077-920 PID
• 016-077-971 PID
• 018-874-037 PID
• 023-193-859 PID
• 024-677-973 PID
• 024-384-321 PID
• 027-545-491 PID

The BC Wildfire Service says there are several “wildfires of note” burning in the province, including the Battleship Mountain Wildfire, which has grown to over 13,000 hectares.

“The District of Hudson’s Hope has declared a State of Local Emergency and issued an Evacuation Order and an Evacuation Alert for the Municipality of Hudson’s Hope,” the BC Wildfire Service says.

Meanwhile, the Heather Lake fire has forced an evacuation order in parts of Manning Park, east of Hope.

The wildfire started in Washington state last month and has grown to over 4,000 hectares in size. Approximately 2,349 hectares are burning in Canada.

Related links:

• BC Wildfire crews still busy as end of season nears

• Chetamon wildfire ‘will progressively become more intense’: Jasper National Park

• B.C. ‘Smoky Skies Bulletin’ ends amid wildfires

It’s currently burning about five kilometers southwest of Manning Park Resort.

Shaelee Stearns, a fire information officer with the Kamloops Wildfire Centre, says fewer square kilometers have burned so far this wildfire season compared to last year.

“Looking at how early versus how late our warming trends started and the temperature in the snow pact we had from over the winter and how fast those fuels are drying out. Last summer we had an extended period of warmth where the fuels were drying out a lot faster and a lot sooner than what we saw this summer. We’re still having warm temperatures, but it hasn’t been as hot as it was last summer.”

As the wildfire season winds down, Stearns says it’s hard to predict how things will wrap as we inch closer into the fall.

“We really rely on looking at the past and the trends that we’re seeing,” Stearns said.

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